The triumph of preserving Prescott Industries was still fresh, but the dust hadn’t quite settled. The company was back on its feet, but the air around Emma and Alexander had shifted. The victory was sweet, but there was an undertow of tension that neither of them could ignore. For the first time since they had started their journey together, Emma felt a gnawing sense of insecurity—a feeling she thought she had buried long ago.
It began subtly. The moments when Alexander’s attention would linger a little too long on someone else. A friendly colleague, a newly hired associate with sharp eyes and a keen intellect. At first, Emma dismissed it. She trusted him, didn’t she? They had been through so much together. But every time their eyes would meet in the hallway, or during a meeting when Alex
