I wasn’t sure. Maybe. Maybe not.
And it wasn’t a bad thing… not at all. A part of me felt soft about it, tender, even proud. But another part of me felt exposed—like everyone around me could see something I hadn’t fully processed myself.
Especially now that I was eating more. Resting more. Unable to train the way I used to. It felt like I was losing little pieces of the body and routine I’d known for years. I wasn’t used to this version of me yet.
But it was inevitable, so… I just brushed off the thought.
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By the time I arrived at the meeting room, the council members were already seated or shuffling toward their chairs. The moment I stepped inside, conversations stalled, replaced by that expectant silence I was slowly—very slowly—getting used to.
They didn’t seem happy to greet m
