MIRA

The terrace is quieter than I expect for a place overlooking Dubai’s glittering skyline. Below me, the city hums like a giant heart, constant, alive, pulsing under the velvet night. I lean against the railing, trying to steady my breath after the emotional intensity of the summit.

My speech is still echoing in my head. The applause still feels like waves crashing over a shore I never thought I’d reach, and somewhere in that sea of faces, Jackson had smiled at me, not with bitterness ...