It was graduation day at the university, the auditorium buzzing with excitement and the rustle of robes. Emily stood among her peers, her heart swelling with a mix of pride and lingering soreness from Harlan's intense birthday celebration three days prior. That wild night of relentless pounding and bondage had left her legs wobbly, unable to walk properly for days—she'd spent them recovering in bed, her body marked with faint bruises and her mind replaying every degrading command he'd growled. Now, she was here, about to receive the top academic award from the dean himself for acing the university exams. The air smelled of fresh flowers and polished wood, families snapping photos, but Emily's focus kept drifting to Harlan, her secret dominant, standing tall in his professor's attire among the faculty.