I HEARD HIM SAY " DADDY"
someone whispered, barely audible above the rising hum of anticipation, a note of reverence lacing the words.
I let the attention wash over me. I felt it seep into every fiber of me, that raw, unfiltered thrill of being the epicenter of admiration, envy, and disbelief. My chest tightened, not with fear, but with exhilaration. The room vibrated around me, alive and pliant, bending slightly to my presence. For a brief, suspended moment, I could have been anything—a force of nature, untouchable, undeniable.