Ethan stopped, his knuckles turning stark white as he gripped his daughter tighter. “She’s my daughter, Principal Vance.”
“I don’t care what she is,” Vance hissed, glancing nervously at the VIP section. “Hand the infant back to the audience immediately, or you will not walk across this stage. You will not receive your diploma today.”
Ethan froze. He was an eighteen-year-old boy, exhausted, terrified, facing down the absolute, unyielding authority of his entire world. The crowd was watching. The Harringtons were smirking.
I saw his broad shoulders tremble slightly under the cheap gown, and in that agonizing, breathless second, the ghost of Marcus died forever, replaced by the blazing fire of a mother’s rage. I knew I could not let him fight this battle alone.
Chapter 6: The Wall of Authority
I didn’t think; I moved.
Instinct, honed by eighteen years of defending my small family against a world that wanted to crush us, took over. I pushed violently past the knees of the shocked parents in my row, my cheap shoes digging into the carpet, and marched directly into the center aisle.
