The following morning

★★★★★

The next morning, Nadia informed Jasmine that she wouldn’t be able to attend the post-celebration at her house as initially planned. She had arranged a private lunch with a close circle of friends, and her schedule was tight. Nadia was preparing for an important interview and Jasmine, understanding the situation, nodded without much question.

Nadia slid into her car, feeling a surprising sense of clarity. The previous night had been a turning point, a quiet moment when she had managed to push thoughts of Harley into the farthest corners of her mind.

As she drove toward the office, a smooth half-hour ride through the city’s streets, her mind started working through the layers of the day ahead. The company she was visiting for the interview had an impressive reputation—one she had thoroughly researched in the hours leading up to this meeting. The figures added up in her head. If she landed this job, the salary alone would be enough to buy her a decent house and maybe even that c