Chapter 72
Chapter 72: A Chicago Twilight
By 2048, Carter had turned fifty. To celebrate the milestone, he held a private retrospective exhibition at his Chicago gallery, displaying his life’s work alongside pieces created by the young students his foundation had funded over the last two decades.
Anna and I flew out together, arriving just as the twilight city lights began to glow through the massive gallery windows.
The room was filled with a warm, familial energy. There were no corporate critics or aggressive developers here—just artists, teachers, and people who loved the craft. Carter stood at the center of the room, laughing with a group of young muralists, looking completely content.
He walked over to us, wrapping both of us in a massive, warm hug. "Thank you for coming, Aunt Claire. Anna."
"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Carter," Anna smiled, handing him a small, beautifully framed sketch. It was the original drawing she had made for her very first art class at her state university—the one she had nearly lost because of his mother’s theft.
May you like
Carter looked at the sketch, a deep, emotional understanding passing between him and Anna. "It’s perfect," he whispered. "It reminds me of where the real talent always was."
"It’s where we both started, Carter," Anna said, squeezing his hand. "Out of the same shadow, into the same light."
