Chapter 1: The Education Begins

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 23:22:02 +0000

The house was quiet in that particular way only a Tuesday afternoon can be—the hum of the refrigerator, the distant tick of the grandfather clock, and my bare feet whispering against the hardwood floor as I padded toward his study. Dad had called me in. Not texted. Not shouted up the stairs. He’d appeared in my doorway, leaned against the frame with that calm half-smile, and said, “Come find me when you’re finished with your book.”