“Just like that,” Tommy confirmed with a smile.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Commencement
Evie sat among her fellow graduates, her heart fluttering as the Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences called each name. A light breeze rippled across the South Lawn, stirring the blue and white banners behind the stage. The hum of conversation rose and fell, punctuated by bursts of cheers and camera flashes, as families celebrated their loved ones.
When her row was told to stand, Evie rose, her heels sinking slightly into the turf as she followed the line toward the stage. Four years of long nights, stress, and tears were coming to an end. She was more than ready to close this chapter and move forward.
Scanning the crowd, she spotted Thorn first, head and shoulders above everyone else, sitting in the VIP section with Tommy, her mother, and Nissa. Della clutched Tommy’s arm tightly, and the sight of how fragile she’d become in the past year made Evie’s chest tighten. At her last appointment, the oncologist had confirmed that the cancer had spread to her liver and lymph nodes, giving her six months to a year. She was scheduled to enter palliative care at the end of the month, a decision that had brought Evie a complicated, guilty kind of relief.
Pushing the thought aside, she focused on the Dean as the line inched forward. Her capstone project, HELIX, the Heuristic Enhanced Learning & Integrated eXecution System, had placedher at the top of her class, and today she wanted only to think about that.
“Graduating summa cum laude and receiving the Dean’s Award for Innovation for Project HELIX, an adaptive artificial-intelligence system designed to enhance human coordination and decision-making; Evelyn Stanley.”
The cheers from Tommy, Thorn, and Nissa rose above the crowd, but it all faded into a pleasant blur as she crossed the stage. She shook the Dean’s hand, and he leaned into whisper, “Congratulations,” before stepping back and letting her faculty advisor take the microphone.
“Evelyn’s work on HELIX has redefined what we expect from undergraduate research in artificial intelligence. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”
He turned to shake her hand warmly and guided her offstage. From the corner of her eye, Evie caught Tommy beaming with pride and affection. She ducked her head, cheeks burning, her smile stretching wide. She’d wanted to make him proud, to prove he hadn’t wasted his money or faith in her, and in that moment, every sleepless night, every frustration, and every failure had been worth it.
**********
After the ceremony, Tommy took everyone to La Monde to celebrate. He’d reserved a private table in a quiet corner, primarily for Della’s comfort, not wanting to overwhelm her with noise or crowds. The atmosphere was warm and easy, exactly what Evie needed after the stress of exams and excitement of her graduation ceremony.
She laughed as Tommy told embarrassing stories about her childhood, shaking her head in mock despair. Her new title still felt unreal: Lead Systems Architect - Sloane ConsultingDivision. She had no idea what it actually meant, and Tommy had been maddeningly cryptic when she’d asked. “You’ll find out on the third,” was all he’d said, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
He was halfway through retelling the story of her nine-year-old ballet recital, the one where she’d knocked over half the set during the second act, when Thorn leaned close.
“I am so proud of you, Mališa,” he murmured. “You’ve overcome so much and come out on top.”
When dinner ended, Della was exhausted, so Tommy drove them home. Once Evie had her mother settled in bed, she returned to find him standing in the living room, studying the collection of framed portraits of Jesus and the Virgin Mary that covered the walls.
“They’re something else, aren’t they?” Evie said dryly as she gathered her mother’s half-finished soup and carried it into the kitchen to refrigerate.
“That’s… one way to put it,” Tommy replied, sounding so unsettled that she started to giggle. “Do you need any help packing?” he asked when she came back.
“Most of this is being donated to the church or FurnishAid, since you so thoughtfully furnished my new place already.” She smiled faintly as she looked around. “It’s just my personal stuff I need to pack, so I’ll be fine.”
After the small birthday gathering he’d hosted for her the week before, Tommy had surprised her by taking her down to the eighty-sixth floor of Sloane Tower.
“What are we doing down here?” Evie asked, looking at Tommy in confusion as the elevator doors opened into a small vestibule with a single black door ahead.
“I’m giving you your birthday-slash-graduation-slash-welcome-to-Sloane gift.” He smiled and gestured toward the door. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Evie hesitated, then turned the knob. For a moment, she couldn’t move. The space before her was drenched in light that made everything shimmer.
She stepped inside, her breath catching. The apartment was modern and clean lined, yet somehow soft. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed a sweeping view of Prospect Park.
The living room was unmistakably hers; vibrant, alive, full of warmth and colour. A pale cream sofa scattered with fuchsia, orange, and turquoise pillows faced a wall of oversized floral prints, petals painted in impossible shades of teal and magenta that somehow worked.
“What do you think?” Tommy asked quietly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Evie laughed softly, shaking her head as she took it all in: the bold rug beneath her feet, the glass coffee table reflecting bursts of colour, the way everything felt alive. “It’s perfect,” she said. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I did.” Tommy followed her inside, hands in his pockets. “You deserve it.”
The kitchen gleamed with white marble counters, brushed brass hardware punctuated with splashes of colour: mugs in every shade of blue, a jar of bright spoons, a neon-orange kettle on the stove. Above the counter, a built-in screen displayed the HELIX boot interface, waiting for her to activate it.
“You wired it into the apartment?” she asked, touching the edge of the display.
