The morning felt different.
I didn’t hit snooze. I didn’t bury my head under the pillow like I had the past few weeks, letting the weight of everything keep me down. Instead, I sat up, took a long breath, and for the first time in what felt like forever I felt like myself again.
Maybe it was Daniel’s words echoing in my head. Maybe it was the way Liam’s silence last night stung like a bruise. Or maybe it was just time. But I wasn’t going to lose myself in this. Not anymore.
I showered, slipped into my black suit the one that always made me feel like I could walk into a boardroom and set it on fire if I had to. I stood in front of the mirror, fastening my earrings, and whispered to my reflection, “Mia Cross Wolfe. Still here. Still standing.”
Bloom whined at my feet, tail thumping the f
