Grace

There’s something my mother used to say to me all the time.

“Chloe, this world is dominated by men. Do you know why? Because if a man and a woman do something wrong, the blame almost always falls on the woman. That’s why the best thing in life is to just do as you’re told, or face the consequences. One mistake, and your entire reputation is gone.”

Even now, standing in this elevator with my heart in my throat, those words echoed louder than ever. I didn’t know why they surfaced at this moment, or maybe I did. Maybe deep down, I knew exactly why.

Because this felt like...