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Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it. / Jack,brokeback mountain
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LONDON, UK ( 2012 )
Life had never tasted sweeter, like sunlight spun into honey, like gold melting on her tongue. The medal pressed cool and perfect between her teeth, a solid shimmer of triumph as sunlight poured in golden ribbons across her face. Her smile stretched wide, impossible to contain, so radiant it pulled grins from strangers in the stands.
Around her, the stadium roared like a living creature. Flashbulbs sparked like lightning, blinding and electric. Through the dazzle and din, she found them: her family, anchors in the storm. Holden's voice cut through everything, his little fists in the air as he waved a massive banner with her face sprawled across it, perched proudly on Jaxon's broad shoulders.
She had done it, again. Not just a win. Not just another match carved into the sacred record books. A month ago, she'd conquered Wimbledon for a second time. Now she stood on Olympic soil, wrapped in history. Her first Golden Slam. Her third Olympics. A legacy born in fire.
And this time, she'd owned it.
Her father stood at the sideline, clapping with quiet thunder, his eyes shining. Confetti fell like stars from a sky that had finally opened for her. At twenty-two, for the first time, life made perfect sense. The long, bone-deep years. The sacrifice. The aching beauty of the grind. It had led her here—to this exact moment. Surrounded by her people. Dripping in gold.
It felt like a fever dream, microphones shoved toward her, questions tossed like rose petals and shrapnel. Her breath still came ragged from the war she'd waged on court. Sweat clung to her skin, her hair tangled and damp. But there was no pain, only the sweet burn of glory—a fire that felt like heaven.
Journalists swarmed like moths to flame. She blinked through the blur, still spinning in the aftershock, until she caught Holden's eyes. Bright. Bouncing. Impatient. She smiled and beckoned him close. He broke from the crowd and flew into her arms. She spun him around, he was getting heavier, but right now, she could've lifted the world.
