“Take care, Mark,” I said, my voice steady and sure. It was the closure I needed, a final goodbye to a chapter that had taught me resilience.

Stepping outside, the air felt crisper, the sky a shade more vibrant. The city buzzed around me, full of possibilities. I breathed deeply, letting go of the doubts, the insecurities that had anchored me.

As I hailed a taxi, I thought of my great-uncle. I whispered a silent thank you to the wind, a promise to honor his legacy by carving my path, not dictated by the past but inspired by it.