"Here you go." Manager Sheng's assistant handed Heather a bottle of water, her expression polite but unreadable.
"Thank you," Heather muttered under her breath as she twisted the cap and took a sip. The water felt cool against the dryness in her throat, but it didn't do much to calm the ache in her chest.
Her heart was still pounding from the adrenaline of the interview, and now, standing backstage under the low hum of studio lights, everything was finally sinking in.
"That was an amazing interview," one of the producers commented as they passed by, offering a nod of approval.
Heather only smiled faintly in return. Amazing? Maybe to them. But to her, the entire thing felt like peeling off layers of skin in front of the world, exposing parts of herself she never intended to show.
