CHAPTER SIXTY SIX
After getting approved for the job a few nights ago, today finally arrives.
My first day.
The morning passes in a blur of discipline and quiet preparation. I start at the gym, pushing my body just enough to feel alive, reminding myself that I am strong, that I still own myself.
Afterward, I reply to emails, hotel updates, legal notes, things no one here knows I’m actually in charge of. Then I’m back in mom mode.
Zaiden comes first.
I feed him, change him, kiss his soft cheeks until he giggles, that sound grounding me more than anything else ever could. Nina watches me with that knowing smile, the one that says, you’ve got this, even when I’m not sure I do.
Before I leave, I pause at the door and look back at my son.
“This is for you,” I whisper, even though he ca
