Her bet

The applause was deafening, but a cold sweat trickled down my back.

One moment, I was falling, the city skyline spinning. The next, I was here, at the TechFusion conference, the air thick with the smell of electronics and ambition.

I looked down at my hands, steady, and took a deep breath.

This was real. A second chance, pulled back from the brink of a self-inflicted end.

But as I scanned the room, the past crashed into me. This was the day it all went wrong before.

The host nervously announced, "It seems our next speaker, the one and only Brittany Hayes, is running a little behind schedule."

Then, my phone vibrated.

It was Brittany.

"OMG Sarah, traffic is a nightmare! I'm gonna be late. Can you go up there and stall for me? Just say some smart marketing stuff. You're good at that. Pls pls pls save me! 🙏"

Word for word, the exact same manipulative plea that had led to my public humiliation and downfall.