Fortune intervened in the form of my mentor, who came to congratulate me. His joy at seeing me accepted for the scholarship warmed my chest, and he treated me to a celebratory meal.
“Italy will transform you, Toni,” he said, his smile bright as the morning sun. “I can’t wait to witness the artist you become.”
“Thank you, Professor,” I replied, my smile genuine.
His words were a balm, a spark of hope. But as I left campus and rode home, a shadow of doubt slithered into my mind.
I stared out the car window as we passed the courthouse, its looming presence a reminder of the weight that hung over me: the divorce I had yet to finalize. For a fleeting moment, I nearly told the driver to stop. But then, Lorenz’s mother flickered into my thoughts. How would she react if I acted now?
I sighed and let the moment pass.
Then my phone buzzed. Her name lit the screen.
“Toni, darling!” she chimed, her voice warm and bright. “Congratulations on your graduation! Let’s celebrate with a day of shopping, just the two of us.”
“That sounds wonderful,” I said. I directed the driver back to the manor to pick her up.