Chapter 9: The choice that changed everything

The week of the university’s decision felt endless.

Every morning, Pedro checked his email before he even got out of bed.

Every afternoon, Liyanna refreshed the student portal more times than she cared to admit.

Nothing.

No decision.

No update.

Just silence.

By Friday afternoon, the silence finally ended.

Pedro’s phone vibrated during his engineering lab.

Student Affairs

His heart dropped.

He excused himself and hurried into the hallway before opening the email.

At that exact moment, Liyanna, sitting in the journalism building across campus, received the same message.

Subject: Final Review Decision

She didn’t have the courage to open it alone.

Without thinking, she called Pedro.

“Did you get it?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t read it yet.”

“I’m already outside.”

“So am I.”

“Meet me at the fountain?”

“I’ll be there in five.”

The campus fountain had become their place.

It was where they often met after classes, shared lunch, or simply sat in silence after long days.

When Liyanna arrived, Pedro was already waiting.

Neither of them smiled.

Neither of them spoke.

Finally, Liyanna reached for his hand.

“Whatever happens…”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Pedro nodded.

“Together.”

She took a deep breath.

“Open it.”

Pedro clicked the email.

His eyes moved slowly across the screen.

He stopped reading.

Liyanna’s heart raced.

“What?”

Pedro handed her the phone.

She read aloud.

Following a review of your application and interviews, the university has determined that your marriage was entered into under circumstances inconsistent with the intent of the Married Student Housing Program.

Her shoulders sank.

She kept reading.

As a result, your eligibility for subsidized married housing will end at the conclusion of this semester.

She closed her eyes.

“So…we’re losing the apartment.”

Pedro nodded quietly.

“But keep reading.”

She opened the email again.

After considering your honesty during the investigation, your academic standing, and the absence of evidence of financial fraud beyond your housing application, the university has decided not to pursue disciplinary action. Your financial aid eligibility will instead be reassessed individually.

Liyanna blinked.

“So…”

“We’re not being expelled.”

Pedro smiled for the first time that day.

“We’re not.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“I can live with losing an apartment.”

“So can I.”

Packing up Apartment 3B was harder than either of them expected.

Every room held a memory.

The kitchen where Liyanna had burned her first pancakes.

The living room where Sofia had fallen asleep during movie night.

The balcony where they’d admitted they loved each other.

Mrs. Whitaker knocked on the door one last time.

She carried another pie.

“This is becoming a tradition,” Pedro joked.

She smiled.

“I heard you’re moving.”

“We are.”

She looked around the apartment.

“I’ll miss having you two next door.”

Liyanna hugged her tightly.

“We’ll miss you too.”

Mrs. Whitaker stepped back and looked at them carefully.

“You know…”

“When you first moved in, I thought you looked like strangers.”

Pedro glanced at Liyanna.

“And now?”

Mrs. Whitaker smiled.

“Now you look like home.”

Neither Pedro nor Liyanna could hold back their tears.

Finding a new place wasn’t easy.

Money was tight again.

They spent days searching online, calling landlords, and visiting apartments that were either too expensive or too far from campus.

Just when they were about to give up, Pedro’s engineering professor stopped him after class.

“I heard about your housing situation.”

Pedro looked surprised.

“I’m sorry if it affected your studies.”

The professor smiled.

“It didn’t.”

“You submitted one of the best bridge-design projects I’ve seen.”

Pedro thanked him politely.

Then the professor added,

“My brother owns a duplex about ten minutes from campus.”

“He rents mostly to graduate students.”

“He has one unit becoming available next week.”

Pedro stared.

“Really?”

“I’ve already called him.”

“If you’re interested, the rent is affordable.”

Pedro could hardly believe it.

Meanwhile, Liyanna received unexpected news of her own.

Her investigative article about food insecurity among college students had been published in the campus newspaper.

The article quickly gained attention across Georgia.

A regional newspaper contacted her.

Then another.

Within days, she was offered a paid summer internship.

When she rushed home with the news, Pedro lifted her off the ground in excitement.

“You did it!”

“We did it!”

She laughed.

“No.”

“I wrote the article.”

“You encouraged me every single night.”

“You believed I could.”

“So yes…”

“We did it.”

Graduation arrived beneath clear blue skies.

Families filled the stadium with cheers and applause.

Pedro adjusted his graduation cap.

Liyanna stood beside him in her gown, unable to stop smiling.

“You made it,” she whispered.

“We made it.”

When Pedro’s name was called, the crowd applauded.

A few moments later, Liyanna crossed the stage.

Among the loudest voices cheering were Aunt Rosa…

Sofia…

Mrs. Whitaker…

And, to Pedro’s surprise…

Emily.

After the ceremony, Emily hugged them both.

“I knew you’d get here.”

Pedro smiled.

“Thank you.”

“For everything.”

Emily laughed.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever been happy to lose.”

Liyanna smiled warmly.

“You didn’t lose.”

Emily looked at the two of them.

“No.”

“I just realized some stories aren’t meant to be rewritten.”

She waved goodbye and walked toward her family.

Pedro watched her leave with gratitude.

Some chapters ended not with heartbreak…

But with peace.

That evening, Pedro and Liyanna returned to the empty apartment one last time.

The keys rested on the kitchen counter.

The rooms echoed.

Pedro looked around.

“This place changed my life.”

Liyanna slipped her hand into his.

“It changed mine too.”

He turned toward her.

“So…”

She smiled.

“So.”

“Our lease is ending.”

“It is.”

“Our fake marriage…”

She laughed softly.

“…isn’t fake anymore.”

Pedro reached into his pocket.

Liyanna frowned.

“What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, he dropped to one knee.

Her eyes widened.

From a small velvet box, he lifted a delicate ring.

“This isn’t because we need an apartment.”

She covered her mouth.

“It isn’t because of tuition.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“It isn’t because of anyone else’s expectations.”

He smiled.

“This time…”

“I’m asking because I can’t imagine my life without you.”

“Liyanna Anthony…”

He took a shaky breath.

“Will you marry me?”

For real?”

Liyanna was already crying.

She laughed through her tears.

“You really think you have to ask twice?”

Pedro grinned.

“So that’s a yes?”

She threw her arms around him before he could finish.

“Yes.”

“A thousand times yes.”

As they kissed in the middle of the now-empty apartment, neither of them noticed the evening sun pouring through the windows.

The place that had started with a lie had become the place where they chose the truth.

And this time…

It was forever.