I wanted light, solid furniture, a kitchen where a meal could stay on the table without becoming an inconvenience, and a nursery that nobody would call spare space.

Security mattered, but I did not want every entrance to remind me I was being watched.

Gavin listened.

The property we chose stood behind brick walls on a quiet, tree-lined street.

My lawyer reviewed the ownership and funding arrangements before anything was completed.

I knew whose name would be on the documents and what the help meant.

“No conditions about whether I work?” I asked.

Gavin looked stricken.