“You don’t have to be.”

That became important.

PART 38 — THERAPY

Mom started seeing a therapist.

Not because Julian had destroyed her.

Because fifty-three years of putting other people first had left her with questions she had never asked.

What did she want from love?

Why had Julian’s attention felt so powerful?

Why did she feel guilty for being angry?

Why did she think one failed relationship meant she had “missed her chance”?