I looked around the quiet rooms.

“It feels like there’s space for something new.”

PART 12

I had been so focused on leaving Gordon that I hadn’t made a plan for what came after.

I knew how to balance accounts, manage medical appointments, negotiate repairs, and stretch a household budget.

But when people asked what I wanted, I still hesitated.

My friend Lucia, who owned a small catering company, offered me regular bookkeeping work.

I had helped her with invoices for years while insisting it was merely a favor.