The Necklace That Changed Everything: From Office Joke to a New Beginning

It happened on an ordinary morning. As I dressed for work, the sunlight caught the back of the pendant in just the right way. There, in tiny letters, was an inscription I had never noticed before: “Office Joke.”

For a moment, I thought it must be some sort of mistake. But as I asked around, I learned the cruel truth. A few teammates had found a cheap, flashy necklace online and chipped in to buy it as a prank. The joke? That I was “trying too hard.”

When I caught the young intern, Rafi, noticing me studying the engraving, he laughed out loud — assuming I was in on it. I forced a laugh too, but inside, something crumbled. Later that day, I cried in a bathroom stall for ten minutes straight.

What I had worn as a symbol of confidence was nothing more than their punchline.

Hiding in Plain Sight

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