Romy Reiner had no reason to think twice before posting the Instagram Story. It was the kind of casual, fleeting update that disappears into the endless scroll of modern life almost as soon as it appears. A short clip, a few words—“Go watch”—shared without ceremony, without forethought, without the faintest awareness that it would later take on a weight she could never have anticipated. At the moment she pressed publish, it was simply an expression of pride, encouragement, and connection. The internet thrives on these small, everyday gestures, and most of them fade without consequence. Yet sometimes, without warning, an ordinary post becomes a fixed point in time, a quiet marker that separates before from after.

Social media has a peculiar way of freezing moments we never intended to preserve. Stories are meant to be temporary, designed to vanish within twenty-four hours, offering a sense of impermanence that encourages spontaneity. But emotional permanence doesn’t follow the same rules as digital design. Even when the image is gone, screenshots, memories, and timestamps remain. In Romy’s case, the simplicity of the post became part of its power.