Graduation morning was supposed to be the proudest morning of my life.
Instead, I stood in front of the bedroom mirror ironing the collar of the same shirt for the second time.
It was already perfectly smooth.
I just needed something to do with my hands.
On the dresser sat a framed photograph of Sophie’s mother.
Half smile.
Soft eyes.
The same photograph I had looked at every morning for eighteen years.
I touched the edge of the frame.
“I kept my promise.”
My voice sounded strange in the quiet room.
“She never grew up feeling like half a family.”
Eighteen years earlier, I had become a father and a widower in the same hour.
Sophie’s mother died during childbirth.
And from the moment someone placed that tiny crying baby in my arms, I made one promise.
Whatever happened—
Sophie would never feel alone.
SOPHIE HAD BEEN ACTING STRANGE ALL WEEK
She came downstairs wearing her cap and gown.
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