I walked back into Brightstone Group with the folder clutched so tightly in my hand the edges bent against my palm. My face still felt hot from everything I had just seen. James. That woman. My bed.

My chest burned but I forced my shoulders up, lips pressed together, trying to look like nothing had happened.

The glass doors hissed open and the lobby swallowed me whole.

People rushed past in heels and suits, phones pressed to their ears, voices bouncing off marble walls.

I had no idea how I looked to them.

Maybe like I had just stepped out of a storm.

My hair was falling out of its bun, my blouse clung to me with sweat. But I told myself no one noticed.

By the time I reached the top floor where the conference room was, my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

The meeting had already started. Through the glass wall, I could see everyone seated, Mr. Halpern at the head of the table flipping through his papers with that permanent frown on his face.

Shit.

I pushed the door open anyway. All heads turned. The silence was sharp, cutting through me as I tried to smile and slid into the empty seat at the corner.

“You’re late,” Halpern said, his voice flat but full of disapproval. “And underprepared, I assume.”

“No, sir,” I murmured quickly, dropping the folder on the table. “I— I have the proposal here.”

I opened it with my shaky, , trying to catch my breath, but the words blurred on the page.

My voice cracked as I started reading through the numbers I’d memorized a hundred times before. Except now, every digit slipped away from me like water.

The room spun.

My mind was not here. It was back in my apartment with James, the woman’s smirk burned into my memory.

“Miss Vale,” Halpern cut in sharply. “You’ve repeated that same statistic twice. Do you even know what you’re presenting?”

Laughter rippled down the table. Quiet, but cruel.

My stomach turned. I forced myself to keep going, flipping to the next slide, but I pressed the button too quickly. The projector froze, then flashed a bright blue error screen. Groans filled the room. Someone whispered, “Unbelievable.”

Heat rushed up my neck, making it hard to speak.

Halpern finally sighed and waved a hand. “Enough. Sit down. We’ll let Jacob finish this since he seems prepared.”

I lowered myself into my chair, hands in my lap, trying not to tremble. My eyes burned but no tears came.

Crying here would only make it worse. I stared at the polished table, counting the seconds until the meeting ended.

When it finally did, I bolted for the door before anyone could speak to me. My heels clattered on the corridor tiles, echoing too loud in the silence. I headed toward the employee lounge at the far end of the hall, somewhere quiet where no one would see me break.

When it finally did, I bolted for the door before anyone could speak to me. My heels clattered on the corridor tiles, echoing too loud in the silence.

I headed toward the employee lounge at the far end of the hall, somewhere quiet where no one would see me break.

I leaned against the vending machine, pressing my forehead against the cool metal. My chest felt tight, my lungs refusing to pull in enough air.

“Diana?”

I jumped, spinning around. Lola was standing there, a file tucked under her arm, her face filled with concern

Are you okay?” she asked softly.

I shook my head quickly. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

“No,” she said firmly, stepping closer.

“Don’t give me that. You’re never like that in a presentation. Never. I’ve seen you pull all-nighters and still kill it the next morning. Something happened.”

I looked away, blinking fast. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Then don’t talk,” she said gently. “Just… let me sit with you.”

Her voice broke the dam inside me. My throat tightened, words spilling out before I could stop them. “I walked in on him, Lola. This morning. In my bed. With someone else.”

Her face went still. Then her jaw dropped. “Wait. What? James?”

I nodded, biting my lip hard enough to taste blood.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, dropping the file onto the table and pulling me into a hug. “Diana, I’m so sorry. That bastard.”

I let out a shaky laugh, though it sounded nothing like me. “He didn’t even look sorry. He said I wasn’t enough. That he had… needs.”

Lola pulled back, fire flashing in her eyes. “Needs? Please. What he needs is a trash can to crawl into. You don’t deserve that, Di. You hear me? You don’t.”

Her words should have comforted me, but all I felt was the emptiness sitting heavy in my chest.

She studied me for a moment, then her tone softened. “Listen. You are not going home tonight to cry yourself to sleep. No way. We’re going out.”

I blinked at her. “What?”

“You heard me. Drinks, music, lights. Something to burn this shit out of your system.”

I shook my head. “Lola, I can’t—”

“You can,” she interrupted, firm but smiling. “And you will. I’ll come by your place at eight. Don’t even think about locking your door, because I’ll kick it down if I have to.”

A laugh came out despite the heaviness pressing on me. “You’re insane.”

“Insanely right,” she said with a wink. “Trust me. You’ll thank me tomorrow.”

I didn’t believe her. But as she picked up her file and walked off, tossing a smile over her shoulder, a strange feeling stirred in me.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe tonight I needed to stop being Diana Vale, the girl who got cheated on and humiliated at work. Maybe I needed to be someone else.

I didn’t know it then. But that night was the first step into a world I never imagined.