The new software I’d been developing for months finally worked.
The lines of code I’d written, broken, rebuilt, and rewritten again—night after night, hunched over my desk—had finally come together. The email sat quietly in my inbox, glowing on my screen.
Nomination: International Innovation Award.
For a long moment, I just stared at it. My fingertips trembled. Inside me, Lucy’s voice broke through the silence—warm, teasing, proud. “You did it, Rae. Not because of Darius. Not because of anyone else. You did it for yourself.”
My throat tightened, and a tear slipped free before I could stop it.
Yes. This one was mine. My success. My creation.
———
The news spread like wildfire through industry. Joe burst into my office not long after, practically dragging me out of my chair.
“Rae! Did
