Chapter 26 - FOUR YEARS LATER
Four years passed.
Liam graduated from university.
Olivia attended wearing an absurdly oversized shirt printed with:
MY BROTHER PASSED.
Liam stared at it.
“You’re embarrassing.”
“That is literally my job.”
Robert took approximately six hundred photographs.
Sarah eventually confiscated his phone.
Nora cried from the moment Liam entered the auditorium until dinner.
Liam had been accepted into law school.
He planned to work permanently for the Lydia Foundation afterward.
Robert tried unsuccessfully to convince him to join Hale Holdings’ legal department.
“No.”
“We have excellent benefits.”
“No.”
“Parking.”
“No.”
“A corner office.”
“Dad.”
“Fine.”
The word still affected Robert.
Dad.
Years had not made it ordinary.
They had made it precious in a different way.
That night Liam and Olivia sat on the porch.
Olivia had recently moved to another city for college.
She had started dating someone named Ethan Brooks.
Liam had already researched him.
Olivia discovered this.
“You ran a background check?”
“A basic search.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m your brother.”
“You dated me once.”
“Which proves my judgment can be questioned.”
She threw a napkin at him.
Then they both laughed.
What once seemed impossible had become normal enough to joke about.
May you like
Not forgotten.
Healed.
