It wasn’t a magical transformation.

The original stain couldn’t be erased entirely, and neither could the memory.

But I wore the altered dress to a small celebration for my team, and nobody knew it had ever meant anything else unless I chose to tell them.

PART 16

At that celebration, Tessa raised a glass of sparkling water.

She thanked our staff for taking care of clients through a difficult year, without mentioning my private life.

I looked around at the people whose work made the company possible and realized I no longer felt compelled to claim every success as proof of my value.