hairstyle 2025-11-12T10:49:24Z

Rain lashed against my apartment windows last Thursday evening as I stood paralyzed before my wardrobe. That crimson cocktail dress I'd bought for tonight's gallery opening suddenly felt like a costume from someone else's life. My fingers trembled against the fabric—what if the bold red clashed with my complexion under gallery spotlights? What if I looked like a faded copy of the confident woman I pretended to be? That familiar dread pooled in my stomach until I remembered the little star icon b

My engagement ring felt heavier that Tuesday. Not from the diamond’s weight, but from the suffocating avalanche of wedding inspo flooding my phone. Pinterest boards blurred into beige voids – identical floral arches, cookie-cutter lehenga drapes, a soul-crushing parade of perfection that left my creativity gasping. I chucked my phone onto the couch like it burned, the screen cracking against a cushion seam. That fracture mirrored my frayed nerves. Lunch break loomed, another hour scrolling throu