Book excerpt: Norah Merrit, a dedicated obstetrician known for her bedside manner and service to Doctors Without Borders, walks into girls’ night out with a confession to make—and what she has to say shakes the group to its core. In the aftermath of Norah’s revelation, each of the women she calls her sister-friends—photojournalist Camille, stay-at-home mom Leila, publicist Ellison, and designer Kate—are left questioning the roads they haven’t taken, and revisiting the vastly different choices they’ve made in life and love. Told in alternating points of view between the five friends, Center Ring is a story about modern women finding balance through action, relationships, and growth in the midst of challenges and change.