It feels so inviting, this cocoon of solitude, where I don’t have to question every glance, analyze every word. The mantra they’d drilled into my mind at law school echoed: “Never let them see you waver.”

My mother’s voice floated through my thoughts: “A woman can’t have everything, dear.”

How many times had I heard that growing up? How many times had I sworn to prove it wrong? Yet here I lay, thoughts of Daniel threatening the careful balance I’d constructed.

The voices in my head couldn’t agree - was I reading too much into everything?

My intuition used to be my compass, but lately… lately it felt like trying to navigate through fog. Each previous victory, every carefully planned step up the ladder felt somehow hollow in the early morning hush.