CLAIRE
I woke up before my alarm went off, my stomach already twisted into knots of nervous excitement. The meeting was at two PM, which meant I had hours to overthink everything, to second-guess my designs, to convince myself that this was all a terrible mistake.
I rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and staring at my reflection in the mirror.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself. "It's just a meeting."
But it wasn't just a meeting and I knew it. This was my first real step toward building something that belonged to me, something that had nothing to do with Ethan or my father or anyone else who'd tried to define who I should be.
This was mine. I got dressed carefully, pulling on black pants and a cream-colored blouse that made me feel put
