She did not suggest her conduct had been caused by exhaustion or stress.
She simply accepted responsibility.
The letter was sent through the airline's customer relations department, with no expectation that Lena would contact her.
Darla then wrote a separate letter to Evan.
She had already apologized during the board meeting.
But she wanted to make something clear.
She wasn't asking for her old position back.
She wasn't asking him to erase the disciplinary findings.
She wasn't even asking him to believe she'd changed.
She wanted him to know she understood that his entitlement to the seat had existed long before she discovered his professional identity.
When she finished, she read the letter once.
Then she sent it.
And for the first time, she didn't spend the following hour checking whether a reply had arrived.
Several weeks later, Darla began volunteering with a nonprofit organization that helped adults enter the workforce through vocational training.
The organization operated a small sewing and alterations program, among other practical courses.
She had initially contacted its director about making a financial contribution.
The director thanked her but explained that the program also needed people willing to assist with ordinary administrative work.
Darla surprised herself by asking whether she could help.
The director was cautious.
She knew about the airplane incident.
She knew about Darla's departure from Whitmore & Vale.
And she had no intention of allowing a wealthy former executive to use vulnerable trainees as props for a reputation-repair campaign.
There would be no photographers.
No press releases.
No special treatment.
Darla would follow the organization's rules and work under its staff like anyone else.
Darla agreed.
Her first assignment was not glamorous.
She organized donated sewing supplies, counted fabric rolls, and prepared labeled containers for students.
A young instructor showed her how the storage system worked.
Darla listened.
Then made several mistakes.
She placed materials in the wrong bins.
Miscounted supplies.
And incorrectly labeled a container of needles.
The instructor corrected her.
For an instant, Darla felt the familiar impulse to become defensive.
She wanted to explain that she'd managed an international luxury brand.
That she had overseen expensive fashion campaigns.
That she understood far more about clothing than the young instructor could possibly imagine.
Then she remembered the airplane.
And the countless employees she'd corrected harshly without considering how her tone affected them.
She looked at the mislabeled container.