“Now,” he said, offering his arm, “your father asked for one more thing.”
I blinked through tears.
“He said that if he couldn’t escort his daughter to prom himself… another soldier should do it for him.”
My entire body shook with emotion.
The officer walked me to the car while neighbors watched from their porches.
And for the first time since my father died…
I didn’t feel alone.
As we drove away, I looked down at my dress — the dress sewn from my father’s uniform.
Suddenly, I no longer saw fabric and stitches.
I saw love.
I saw sacrifice.
I saw the last promise of a father who never stopped protecting his daughter.
And back at the house, Camila finally understood something far too late:
The girl she mocked that evening…
Was the one person her husband loved and trusted most in the world.
