Cassius had barely caught his breath when he noticed Julie trembling in his arms, her slender frame pressed close and completely still.
His brows furrowed, concern creeping in...Was she crying again?
The silence, the shaking, it was all too familiar. He gently shifted, about to pull back and check on her,
But before he could, she moved.
She turned around and slammed into him, arms flinging tightly around his torso with such force that he lost balance.
"Wha—!?"
The next thing he knew, they were both on the ground, Julie sprawled on top of him, squeezing him in a grip so powerful it left him winded. But before he could get a word out in surprise, he heard her voice.
"I did it!" She cried, her voice bursting with joy. "I finally did it!"
She hugged him even tighter, burying her face into his chest like a child who just received their first gold medal.
"After all these years...I've finally taken my first step toward following my mother's legacy…"
