But because they had continued building a future despite everything.
The acceptance letter also made Emma consider her own ambitions.
For years, she had placed nearly every personal goal behind Sophie's needs.
She told herself that she would return to studying when things were easier.
That she would pursue a better position at work when Sophie was older.
That she might travel someday.
That she might take a class simply because she enjoyed learning.
But there was always another expense.
Another school term.
Another reason to wait.
Now Sophie was preparing to leave home.
And Emma began asking herself a question she had avoided for years.
What did she want her own future to look like?
At first, she struggled to answer.
She had become so accustomed to identifying herself through her responsibilities that choosing something purely for herself felt uncomfortable.
Then she remembered the professional course she had considered several years earlier.
