Nadia’s POV
Elise started daycare three mornings a week, a small place in the neighborhood, ten kids max, teachers who texted photos every hour. The first drop-off, she clung to my leg for thirty seconds, then spotted a toy truck and forgot I existed. I walked out dry-eyed. Progress.
Work ramped up. Marcus promoted me to head of strategy officially. No fanfare. Just a new title, a bigger office, and a team of four reporting to me. The first staff meeting I ran felt strange; people were looking at me for decisions instead of waiting for Marcus to nod. I gave clear directions. They executed. Simple. Effective.
Julian cut his travel to one trip a month. He started blocking Friday afternoons for family time. No exceptions. The first one, we took Elise to the aquarium. She pressed her face t
