I’d had a crush on Daniel, my department head, for years. When he asked me to dinner, I couldn’t say no. But at the restaurant, he never showed. Instead, a waiter handed me a note:

“Stand up and go to the bathroom. Lock the door behind you ;)”

My stomach dropped, but I went—ready to confront him. Inside, Daniel stood with two colleagues, one filming.

“Bet’s over. I did it,” he said, grinning.

Humiliated, I went home, but the next morning was worse. Daniel had shared the video in our company chat with the caption: “Didn’t take much convincing 😏.”

I called in sick, ashamed. But on the third day, I was summoned to a company-wide meeting. Daniel sat smugly until our CEO, Mr. Reynolds, played the video for everyone.

“Who thinks this is funny?” he asked.

Seven hands, including Daniel’s, went up.

“You’re all fired,” Mr. Reynolds said coldly.

Shock rippled through the room as security escorted them out. Then he turned to me.

“Cindy, we now need a new department head. Based on your work, I’d like to offer you the position.”

Tears stung my eyes. I thought about all the times I’d felt small, how I could now change things for the better.

“I accept.”

I had never been invisible—I had just been looking for validation from the wrong people.