Chloe put a hand on my shoulder.

It lasted only seconds, but nothing in my life had ever been more carefully earned.

Outside, families crowded the pavement while students posed for pictures.

Penelope raised her camera and asked whether everyone wanted a photograph together.

Marianne looked at the girls.

Chloe and Sophie exchanged a glance and nodded.

We stood beneath a flowering tree: Marianne at the center, the twins beside her, Penelope holding the camera, and me at the edge.

I did not move inward.