I nodded. “That makes sense,” she said.

They didn’t offer to walk me in, didn’t ask how I’d been. They just drifted back into the crowd. I walked alone past the golden tables marked with names like Dr. Patel, Senator Ames, and CEO Lynn. Then there was mine: Anna Dorsey. No title, no rank. Just me, alone at a half-empty table near the exit. The seat cushion was sunken; the centerpiece was missing.