February brings acceptance letters.
I'm sitting at Marcus's kitchen island when the email arrives.
"Dear Ms. Chen, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the PhD program in English Literature..."
I scream.
Marcus comes running from his office. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong! I got in! PhD program! Full funding!"
He lifts me off the ground, spinning me around. "Of course you got in. You're brilliant."
"It's a five-year program. Commitment. Real commitment to staying in Boston."
"Is that okay? You're not having second thoughts?"
"No. This is where I want to be. Where we are. Where the foundations are. This is home."
"Home." He says it like he's testing the word. "Yeah. It is."
The Valerio Foundation launches quietly in March.
No big press conference. No m
