What would you say when …?

Tara: Did the final exam results come in?
Clair: Yeah, they came out last night, and they were really disappointing. My average was 96.2.
Tara: In what universe is that disappointing?
Clair: In mine. I was hoping to rank 1 at school and get the 2000-Dollar prize, but Sam achieved 96.3; it is too sad to lose when I was ………………. winning.

Meaning: so close to

Hint: a h------— a--- f---

Answer: a heartbeat away from

More examples: I can’t tell you how angry he was with his boss, he was a heartbeat away from killing him.
The police were a heartbeat away from arresting the thieves when they escaped.