A murmur runs through the room.
"All my life, I've been chasing a lie," she says, her gaze scanning the audience. I have no idea if she can see anything from up there, but she certainly doesn't seem like she's giving up.
Only about ten yards are between us, and I smile just because she might see it. I nod at her even though I know she doesn't need anyone to encourage her.
She has more than enough of that on her own.
"Someone very special once told me that only the truth matters," she continues, now almost at the end of the runway. "Back then, I thought I understood what he meant. I was sure it wouldn't affect me."
Again, her eyes sweep across the audience, and this time, I know who she's desperately trying to find: me.
Inevitably, I step onto the stage.
"Now I understand how wrong I was," she says, locking eyes with me. "And I've realized that there are multiple truths in every life." She swallows hard. "The ones others want us to believe in." A wistful smile flickers across her face. "The ones we cling to with all our might." She places her hand on her heart. "And the ones hiding behind other truths."
With her last words, I step into the spotlight's beam, which extends beyond the stage.
We look at each other.
"Sometimes we make the wrong decisions for the right reasons," she says, her gaze intensely fixed on me. "Because we lack the courage. Because we're afraid of losing something." She looks at me meaningfully. "Or simply because we want to protect someone."
Warmth wells up within me, just from these words. From what they trigger in me and from what they make me understand.
She read the article.
And she understood every single word, the love hidden between the lines.
She smiles tenderly at me. "I'm Skady Blohm, Gustav Blohm's daughter," she repeats the words she began her speech with. "And today, I'm not only here to present my design but also to do something even more important."
She reaches her hand out to me. In a trance, I let the lastSanningens Ögonblickslip from my hand and move toward her.
"For years, I've been hiding from myself and from the world," she says as I place my right foot on the slightly elevated runway. "I believed in my own lies so much that I couldn't see your truth," she continues, facing me.
I cover the remaining distance between us. I take her hand gently and draw her closer to me. Delighted whistles can be heard from the audience. She looks at me intensely, and suddenly, it's as if everything around us disappears.
There's only us. In the bright spotlight, accompanied by soft piano music.
However, I now place my hand on hers and bring the microphone closer to my mouth because the whole world should hear what I have to say.
