THE GRADUATION

The auditorium was alive with the rustle of satin robes, the snap of graduation photos, and the echo of names called out with pride. Amidst the sea of excitement, Lunara sat in the fifth row, seat 12B, her fingers clasped tightly in her lap. Her heart drummed an uneven rhythm in her chest not from nerves, but from disbelief.

"This is it".

After seven years of aching sacrifice, living oceans away from her family, missing birthdays, milestones, and meals that tasted like home, she had finally become what her childhood self only dared to dream "Dr. Lunara".

As her name echoed across the hall, applause erupted all around her. She rose slowly, her gown trailing behind her, her throat tightening as she walked to the stage. When she grasped her degree with trembling fingers, her eyes shimmered. The audience blurred, and for a moment, she imagined her parents in the front row her father Malcolm wiping away a proud tear, her mother Mira’s palms pressed together in silent prayer, and her younger sister Lyra grinning ear to ear, holding up a “You Did It!” sign made with glitter and glue.

But they weren’t there.

They couldn’t afford to be.

She turned from the stage and walked back to her seat, her heart a battlefield of triumph and longing. Around her, families cheered, parents snapped photos, and friends embraced. Lunara smiled softly at her classmates, grateful for their companionship but she ached for the arms of those who had raised her.

Later that evening, a quiet dinner was held at a small restaurant, arranged by her mentors and close friends. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was intimate, filled with laughter, tears, and stories of late-night study sessions and shared dreams.

Professor Min-ji stood and lifted a glass. “To Lunara,” she said, “who not only excelled but endured. You showed us what strength looks like.”

Lunara laughed through her tears. “Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

Her roommate and close friend, Soeun, wrapped an arm around her. “You know you’re gonna break the internet with your story, right?”

Lunara rolled her eyes. “Only if I post it.”

“You should,” chimed in Hyun, one of her classmates. “People need to know that dreams are possible even the lonely ones.”

That night, as Lunara packed her belongings into suitcases that held more memories than clothes, she paused and opened a small velvet box. Inside was a diamond ring. Simple, elegant. The kind you don’t give unless your heart is certain.

She had bought it for Elias.

Elias, her constant in chaos. The boy who had once helped her go through everything, and then slowly began to carry her burdens too. Over the years, he had never confessed, and neither did she. They both agreed dreams first, love later. But now, the dream was real, and she was ready to make a new one.

“I’m coming home,” she whispered, holding the ring to her chest.

She had booked her flight for the next evening. Her parents had no idea. Neither did Elias. It was meant to be a surprise a reunion laced with joy, love, and the beginning of something new.

And she couldn’t wait.

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