But I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Instead, I walked toward the car, my steps confident and sure. The past was behind me, and the future—the one I had earned, the one I deserved—was just beginning.

As the car door closed behind me, I took a deep breath, allowing myself a moment to appreciate the journey ahead. Whatever challenges lay in wait, I knew I was ready. After all, I had just survived the worst of storms, and now it was time to bask in the sunlight of a new dawn.