CHAPTER 154

The afternoon sun dipped low in the sky, casting a warm, golden hue over the university campus. The day had been a whirlwind of emotions, a mixture of tension and anticipation that hung thick in the air. As the final debate drew to a close, the auditorium was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the sound of the announcer’s voice.

When Letty’s name was declared the winner, the room erupted into applause. I watched as Letty stood there, momentarily stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. Then, slowly, a radiant smile spread across her face, genuine and filled with a sense of accomplishment.

As the crowd began to disperse, Letty made her way over to me, still clutching the small, gleaming medal in her hand. Her eyes shimmered with a mixture of happiness and something deeper—relief, perhaps, or maybe even a sense of validation after everything she’d been through.

“Margarette,” Letty said, her voice barely above a whisper as she held out the medal toward me. “I... I won. I still ca