Bella pov
"Or," Maya said gently, "you could stop building walls and start building a real life. One where you're happy, not just successful. One where Tom has a mother who smiles instead of just survives."
Her words hit harder than any of Caleb's apologies. Because she was right. I'd spent years surviving, building, proving myself, but I hadn't spent a single day actually being happy.
I'd forgotten how."I don't know if I can," I admitted quietly. "I don't know if I remember how to be anything other than angry."
"Then learn." Maya pulled me back into a hug. "You learned how to be a CEO. You learned how to be a mother. You can learn how to be happy again. It just takes practice."
We sat like that for a long time, me crying into her shoulder while she held me together, until I finally
