Chapter 61
ANNALISA
The grocery store was blessedly mundane—fluorescent lights, squeaky cart wheels, the low hum of refrigeration units creating a soundtrack of normalcy that I desperately needed. It had been three days since Derek and Chase had left for the city house, three days of blessed solitude in my apartment where I could finally breathe without constantly performing the role of understanding wife and devoted mother.
I'd fallen into a rhythm of sorts. Work remotely from the apartment—Marcus had approved my resignation paperwork but granted me a transition period to finish current projects. Eat when I remembered to. Sleep when exhaustion finally overrode the anxiety that seemed to be my constant companion. And occasionally, like today, venture out for groceries because even women
