“Taking inventory.”

“Of the wreckage.”

“Of the things you can fix.”

That distinction mattered.

It was the first time someone had treated my decisions as real, rather than temporary gestures before Roger came home.

PART 9: The Buyout

Melissa Chen’s office was above a hardware store downtown.

There was nothing glamorous about it: framed certificates, a plant that needed watering, and a receptionist who always remembered my name.