Melissa.
The moment I stepped into the hall, the atmosphere shifted.
I could feel it instantly.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of eyes turned in my direction the second I crossed the doorway. Conversations that had been flowing freely moments ago slowed, then faded into curious murmurs as people openly stared.
Some mouths even fell slightly open in silent awe.
I wasn’t surprised.
Not really.
Over the past five years, I had changed more than anyone who once knew me would ever imagine. The girl they had humiliated, mocked, and discarded was long gone. The woman who walked into this hall tonight was someone entirely different.
Stronger.
Confident.
And, if the stunned expressions surrounding me were anything to go by, far more beautiful than they remembered.
I kept my posture steady, my chin l
