The Day I Missed My Deadline

I spent months working on a project that was supposed to be my ticket to a promotion. But last week, I hit a roadblock with the code and couldn't find a solution. Instead of admitting defeat, I kept pushing, thinking if I just worked one more day or night, everything would fall into place. Finally, after three straight days without sleep, it happened, the deadline passed me by. My manager was understanding, but that sense of failure gnaws at me every time I think about how close I came to succeeding.