The next morning, I left the house before either Jude or Lucas came downstairs.
Not because I wanted to avoid them.
Because I needed time to think.
The conversation we’d had the night before had settled something inside me.
Not completely.
The fear was still there, lingering quietly in the corners of my mind.
But for the first time in years…
It had a name.
And Jude knew about it.
I wasn’t carrying it alone anymore.
⸻
Work demanded every ounce of my attention.
The board meeting lasted nearly four hours.
Acquisitions.
International contracts.
Future investments.
Lawyers filled the conference room.
My directors waited for decisions.
Normally, this was where I thrived.
Today…
My thoughts drifted home more than once.
To Jude.
To Lucas.
To the conversation we still hadn’t
