We ended up celebrating Gabrielle's victory right there in the council office, and honestly, the air felt almost electric with relief and excitement.
Gabrielle herself was practically glowing. Her smile looked so wide it could split her face in two, and her eyes were sparkling like someone who'd just pulled off a miracle.
And really, it wasn't like it came out of nowhere. I mean, she had every damn reason to be this happy, considering the insane amount of effort she'd poured into trying to win this presidential run.
I still remembered how crushed she looked when she lost before with how her shoulders slumped and how empty her voice sounded, like all her hard work had been worth nothing. And now, here she was, standing tall, smiling like the world had finally given something back. Winning must've felt like the universe finally saying, "Yeah, it wasn't for nothing."
And well, she deserved that.
