Emily gave him a tight smile. “I will. Thanks, Peter.” She held onto that resolve fiercely as she returned to work. Every tray she carried, every polite exchange with a guest, was a quiet defiance against the darkness creeping at the edge of her mind. She was getting stronger. She had to be.
Later that afternoon, she noticed a couple seated near the dining room window. Their voices were tense, the man leaning forward, the woman pulling away. An argument, clearly. Emily saw an opportunity—her chance to redirect her swirling emotions, to focus on helping someone else.