tillness both peaceful and unnerving. Her world, once filled with noise-his texts, calls, questions, apolo

torm with grace and control. But Ryan had exposed a weakness in her she didn't want to acknow

that belief surrounded h

t the strain it had all placed on her performance. No one confronted her directly, but the shift in tone from her coworkers was unmistakable. Fewer invit

or strategist position, suddenly found herself reassigned to a different team-one with fewer responsibilities and even less visibili

that only made her thoughts louder. Sometimes, she'd scroll through old photos-ones where she was smiling with Ryan on her a

often, sensing s

aby?" she asked o

lied, her voice too f

nd I know the sound o

ed, "Don't let one mistake define how you s

rs. "It wasn't just one mistake, Mom. I

ou ended it.

itations from friends-fearing the inevitable pity in their eyes, th

ay," Maya texted. "Let's ge

ing over the keyboard before she finall

s no project. Just the

stant loop playing in her head: What if it was partly my fau

ator-these thoughts clung to her like shadows. Logic, her old friend, had begun to twist ag

he signs. Th

t smart-yo

didn't, and he too

of all: Y

l again. A leather-bound notebook that had once been filled with ideas and drea

t who I thought I was. But ma

n the shower so he wouldn't hear. About the way he made her question every decision, then blamed her for t

t had taken her to call it w

na began to shift. It wasn't a dramatic transformation-no overnight epiphany or bold makeover montage. It was quieter, slower. A decision to reclaim her morn

ve with a rhythm that made her feel small in the best possible way. The city buzzed around he

her former mentor, Derek, in the

, raising an eyebrow. "H

. lying low,"

t," he said. "Not w

ed. "That'

p pitch last quarter? I still think it was the smartest ta

n. For the first time in weeks, she felt a fli

ournal open on her lap. She didn't write anything this time. She just sat, breath

ealized, wasn't a

d though Ryan's shadow still lingered-faint and flic

y forward, even if sh