The acceptance email remained open on Ronda's screen long after she had stopped reading it.
She knew every word by heart now.
They had chosen her.
The position was hers.
A new unit.
A new responsibility.
A new beginning.
Yet beneath the excitement was something she could not quite name.
Fear, perhaps.
Not the kind that made her want to run.
The kind that reminded her that every new beginning came with something to lose.
She closed the email and leaned back in her chair.
Around her, the office had returned to normal.
Phones rang.
Keyboards clicked.
Someone complained about a missing document.
A printer made an unpleasant grinding sound before finally producing a sheet of paper.
Life had moved on as though nothing important had happened.
Ronda smiled to herself.
Maybe that
