45.

The months passed in a blur of ink-stained pages, sleepless nights, and relentless determination. Alina threw herself into her work, into her studies, into every task that kept her too busy to dwell on the ghosts of her past.

She built a routine—wake up before dawn, commute to the publishing house, work tirelessly under Ms. Davenport, then rush to her classes, drowning in textbooks and notes until exhaustion pulled her under. The days blended together, and slowly, painstakingly, she carved out a space for herself in the world she had always dreamed of belonging to.

But the silence in her condo at night was unbearable.

She ignored it. Pushed forward. Focused on the future.

Then came the day she had been waiting for—the release of her fourth-semester results.

Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen, her breath held captive in her lungs. The website took its agonizing time to load, each second stretching endlessly. Her fingers trembled against the mouse pad, her mind bracing for the worst.

And then—

There it was.

Her name. In the top ten.

A laugh—raw and disbelieving—bubbled out of her. Her chest ached with the force of her emotions, her eyes stung as she reread the ranking over and over again, as if the screen might change, as if it might vanish and leave her with the emptiness she had always known.

But it didn’t.

She had done it.

With a shaking hand, she grabbed her phone and dialed the only number that mattered in this moment.

“Jace,” she breathed the moment he picked up.

“Alina?” His voice was groggy, laced with confusion. “Are you crying?”

She hadn’t realized she was.

“I did it,” she whispered. “I made it to the top ten.”

Silence.

Then, a sharp intake of breath, and Jace’s voice burst through the speaker, loud and filled with pride. “YOU WHAT?”

Alina let out a laugh between her tears, gripping the phone tighter. “I did it, Jace. I actually did it.”

“I’m coming over.” There was no room for argument in his tone. “I don’t care if I have to break every traffic law in this city—I’m coming over.”

And he did.

Less than an hour later, Jace was at her doorstep, hair tousled, breathless, a bottle of cheap champagne clutched in his hand.

“You,” he declared the moment she opened the door, “are a damn genius.”

Alina barely had time to step aside before he barged in, enveloping her in a crushing hug. The warmth of her brother’s embrace undid something in her, and she clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder as laughter and tears mixed together in a mess of relief and joy.

Jace pulled back, shaking her lightly by the shoulders. “I knew you had it in you. I knew it.”

Alina sniffed, wiping at her damp cheeks. “I wasn’t sure I did.”

“Well, you did,” Jace said firmly. “And now we celebrate.”

He popped the champagne with dramatic flair, the foam spilling over the edges as Alina yelped and tried to catch it with a kitchen towel. They toasted with mismatched glasses—hers a coffee mug, his a wine glass he had fished out of her cabinet.

“To Alina Martin, the smartest, most hardworking person I know,” Jace declared, clinking his glass against her mug. “And to the future that doesn’t even know what’s about to hit it.”

Alina laughed, a real, full-bodied laugh that she hadn’t let herself feel in so long. She let herself bask in this moment, in the unrestrained happiness, in the knowledge that for once, she wasn’t just surviving—she was winning.

And for the first time in a long, long time, she let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, she belonged here after all.

As the excitement settled, Jace leaned back on the couch, sipping his drink with a thoughtful expression. "So, you've got a month off before your fifth semester starts, huh?" he mused, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "That means your final year is just around the corner."

Alina nodded, stretching her legs over the coffee table. "Yeah, it's crazy to think about. A whole month with nothing but free time... Well, mostly free. I'll still have work at the publishing house."

Jace smirked. "Of course you will. You can’t sit still for too long. But hey, maybe you can take some time to actually enjoy life for once."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Says the guy who practically lives in his office."

At that, Jace let out a short laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "Speaking of work… I forgot to tell you. My company is transferring me to another graphics department. They need help setting up a new section, so I’ll be working there for a while."

Alina blinked, setting her mug down. "Wait, what? When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn’t want to say anything until it was official, but yeah. It’s a big move for me—new projects, new people."

Alina studied him, searching his face for any signs of hesitation. "And you’re okay with that?"

Jace exhaled, a small, crooked smile playing at his lips. "Yeah. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but I think it’ll be good. It’s a challenge, but you know me—I love a challenge."

Alina nodded slowly, feeling a mixture of excitement and unease. "Well, if anyone can handle it, it’s you. But you better not get so busy that you forget to visit."

Jace grinned and pulled her into another quick hug. "Never. You’re stuck with me, kiddo. No amount of job transfers will change that."

Alina sighed contentedly, leaning into her brother’s warmth. Despite everything, life was moving forward, for both of them. And for the first time in a long while, she wasn’t afraid of what was coming next.