Chapter Thirty-Two
Change doesn’t always announce itself with noise.
Sometimes it waits until you’re strong enough not to confuse it with loss.
It begins with a phone call I don’t expect.
An editor. Calm voice. Careful words.
“There’s interest,” she says. “More than we anticipated. International rights. A longer tour.”
I sit on the edge of the bed, fingers pressed into the comforter, listening as my life quietly expands.
When I hang up, the room feels different—not heavier, not lighter. Just… wider.
Noah listens as I tell him, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, face open.
“That’s big,” he says.
“I know.”
“You okay?”
I nod. “I think I am. I’m just learning how to let good things happen without asking what they’ll cost.”
He steps forward, cups my face gently. “They don’t
