Chapter 59. The Academy

The building had lived many lives before Alyssa found it. Once it had sheltered women in whispered confessions and gentle recoveries, its corridors soft with quiet courage. Later it became a dental clinic—rooms gleaming under harsh fluorescent lights, the air razor-sharp with the tang of disinfectant. By the time Alyssa arrived, the paint peeled in long gray ribbons, the floors sagged in places, and every window stood clouded with years of dust and neglect. Yet she felt, not despair, but possibility—as though the walls themselves were waiting.

And now it was hers.

She bought it discreetly, stitching together small grants, dipping into her own savings, and accepting the help of a few loyal donors who believed so deeply in her vision they never probed too far. The paperwork crept forward over months; the renovations stretched even longer, each step a careful negotiation between her ideals and the building’s stubborn history. She poured over every plan, every contractor’s e