She didn’t respond.
“I was wrong to dismiss your requests. I was wrong to threaten your place in the ceremony without listening to you. And I was wrong to make you feel that your brother no longer mattered to this school.”
He glanced at Felix’s photograph.
“I remembered the letter I wrote him. But I failed to live up to what I had written.”
Emma’s expression softened slightly, though the hurt remained.
William stepped away from the microphone, then stopped.
“May I say something to everyone?”
Emma nodded.
He faced the audience.
“Today, I was reminded that following a rule without understanding the people affected by it can lead us to make the wrong decision. Felix Carter was a student here. His illness prevented him from completing his education, but it did not erase the time he spent in our classrooms, the friendships he made, or the effort he gave.”
