Chapter 79

Lauren's POV

Today, I didn’t even need my alarm.

Long before the alarm could cut through the morning silence, my eyes were already open, staring at the faint glow of dawn slipping in through the curtains. It was 5:39 a.m. according to the clock on the nightstand. Maybe it was a bit too early. But I didn’t care.

I couldn’t take chances, not with today. Not with something that could define the next phase of my life.

Better to get there hours ahead of time than risk missing it entirely.

For a second, it felt almost like I wanted to leave this country. Like I was actually eager to step into this new work life that had been presented to me — eager to escape everything that had tied me down here, the shadows of the past, the betrayals I was still trying to stitch myself back together from.

By 6:00 a.m., I was already bathed, dressed, and ready. My hair, which I had fussed over far longer than I needed to, finally settled perfectly into