My future niece or nephew is already surrounded by something solid and sure.
They are building something.
A life.A family.A future.
And I am so happy for them.
I really am.
But underneath it?
There’s this hollow ache.
Because everywhere I look tonight, I see it.
Love.
Hope.
New beginnings.
And it’s hard to breathe in the middle of it.
Hard to stand under twinkle lights and wedding vows when everything I believed about my own life just collapsed like a house built on sand.
I thought I had something real.
I thought I had stability.
I thought I was safe.
Instead, I got betrayal wrapped up like it was my fault.
And now here I am, sitting across from a man who looks like a storm contained in an expensive suit, offering me power.
Leverage.
Protection.
Things I’ve never had—not really.
And for the first time since my world imploded, I don’t feel small.
I look at his card again.
Then I lick my lips.
I don’t know what J.T.is thinking, but this is either the biggest compliment or the worst insult of my entire life.
After everything I’ve been through, that’s really saying something.
Because part of me hears.
You’re desirable.
Worth pursuing.
Worth protecting.
