Mishka POV
Staring at the beautiful studio Carter had brought me into should have been the focus… but it wasn’t. I couldn’t stop myself from paying attention to what was actually more important.
Ivy had started sobbing.
And the moment I realized Aspen wasn’t going to comfort her, she turned and hurried out of the office in tears. Aspen remained behind, jaw tight, clearly upset by both her poor choices and the consequences she’d brought onto herself. It felt wrong to ignore why she did this — but changes don’t always come at the pace we want. Sometimes people must understand that when change finally arrives, it should be seen as a blessing, not a life sentence of shame. We aren’t in this life to make things worse but to work to improve for the future to come.
When Carter looked toward N
