I thought I wanted distance.
That was the decision, wasn’t it?
Keep it professional.
Keep it simple.
Keep it safe.
So why did it feel like I had just made a mistake?
The moment I stepped out of the conference room, the air felt different.
Colder.
Quieter.
Like something had shifted in a way I couldn’t take back.
“Ava?” Lila’s voice snapped me out of it. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I’m just thinking.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of that lately.”
I didn’t respond.
Because explaining this?
Impossible.
Not when I barely understood it myself.
I walked back to my desk, forcing myself to sit, to open my laptop, to focus.
Work.
That was what I needed.
Something clear.
Something structured.
Something that didn’t involve him.
But even as I tried—
My mind ke
