When the ceremony concluded and the dance floor opened, I quietly slipped out, unnoticed amidst the joyful clamor. Walking home, the cool night air did nothing to soothe the whirlwind of feelings inside me. My pride had brought me here, but it was humility that I was taking away.

That night, I cried—not out of bitterness or envy, but out of a deep-seated release. I cried for the years I’d spent dwelling on a past that no longer served me and for the realization that happiness isn’t a competition but a journey unique to each of us. I cried for the woman I once was and for the woman I now aspired to be.