Chapter 14 - The Unbroken Circle
In September, on my twelfth birthday, Evelyn presented me with a small, velvet-lined mahogany box during a private family dinner at the compound.
Inside lay a simple silver ring shaped like a twisting branch of oak, set with a small, brilliant green emerald in the center.
"This belonged to your mother," Evelyn said softly as I lifted the ring from its velvet velvet bed. "She wore it the day she graduated from MIT. She said it was a reminder that strength doesn't come from where you sit—it comes from where you stand."
I slipped the ring onto the middle finger of my right hand, right above the white scar on my knuckle.
It fitted perfectly.
Ethan raised his glass across the table, his eyes shining with pride.
May you like
"To Maya's daughter," Ethan said, his voice deep and steady. "The girl who walked into a dark alley with holes in her shoes and walked out with a family."
"To family," I replied, holding my glass of sparkling apple cider high in the bright light of the dining room.
