The presentation room felt colder than usual.
Or maybe it was just me.
I stood near the screen, tablet in hand, going over the final slides for what felt like the hundredth time. Everything was in place. Every number checked. Every transition smooth.
There was nothing left to fix.
And yet—
My chest still felt tight.
“You’re going to be fine.”
I glanced to the side. Lila stood near the door, arms crossed, watching me with that knowing look again.
“I know,” I said.
“You don’t sound like you know.”
“I do.”
“Then why are you rehearsing like your life depends on it?”
I exhaled quietly. “Because this matters.”
“It always matters,” she said. “That’s not new.”
No. It wasn’t.
What was new—
Was everything else.
“I just want this to go well,” I added.
“It will,” she said simply. The
