I took the folder. Inside was my speech, printed and marked in blue ink. The one I had written at three in the morning after a hospital shift, sitting on the laundry room floor because Haley had taken my desk for a makeup tutorial.
The first line stared up at me.
We do not become healers because life is gentle.
I almost laughed again.
Dean Bradley watched me carefully. “There has been an issue with one of the VIP tickets.”
My heart stopped.
“The guest assigned to your personal ticket is currently seated with two others,” he continued. “Security flagged it because the name on the pass does not match the scanned credentials.”
I closed my eyes.
“They’re my family,” I said.
He was quiet.
“They took it from me,” I added, because for once I did not want to make the lie smaller for their comfort.
Marlene’s face hardened.
