I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the tear hit my wrist.
Harlan’s hand brushed mine, but he didn’t take it.
He just stood beside me.
Still.
Letting the fire wash over us.
“This is for Sofia. For Jenny, Lia, Becca, Katie Grace, and Annalise,” Remi said.
“For Ben, Charlie, Alex, and Mark. For every broken boy who doesn’t know how to be a man. For every fight still coming. Every story still silenced. And for every one of you in this room who now has to decide if you’re going to keep being part of the problem… Or stand with us. And hold the line.”
She stepped back from the mic.
And the room rose like a wave.
Applause erupted, not polite, not rehearsed.
It was thunder.
A roar.
People didn’t just hear her.
They felt her.
They heard the call.
And I stood there, watching my best friend become something bigger than legend.
Harlan leaned in, voice low. “She’s terrifying.”
I laughed through the tears. “She’s everything.”
He looked at me like he wanted to say something more.
But then Jack stepped onto the stage. Quiet. Steady.
He joined Remi like he’d always been meant to stand beside her.
And in that moment, I wasn’t thinking about everything we were still fighting.
I just let myself feel the win.
And I leaned into it.
CHAPTER 34
HARLAN - I AM THE PROOF
The air hadn’t settled after Remi’s speech.
People were still in their seats, some dabbing their eyes, others clinging to the silence like it might mean something. Even the usual post-event chatter felt muffled, like the whole room knew it had witnessed something bigger than a fundraiser.
I’d heard a lot of speeches in my time. Graduations, retirements, and city council rants. But none of them had ever felt like that. None had cut the room open and made everyone stare at the wound.
And Remi Carter did it in black from collar to heel. No pretense. No pandering. Just truth, aimed like a bullet.
