Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Yes That Doesn’t Echo
Lena – First Person POV
I didn’t tell anyone I let him come back.
Not Luciana, who would have narrowed her eyes over her wineglass and said something snide but protective.
Not the gallery assistant who sometimes lingered outside the studio as if curious what ghosts I’d conjured next.
Not even the quiet voice in my own head that still whispered caution every time I touched something that used to hurt.
Because this wasn’t something that needed to be explained.
It wasn’t a proclamation.
It wasn’t forgiveness.
It wasn’t even an answer.
It was a beginning. Quiet. Intentional. Fragile.
The kind that blooms in the silence after you’ve finally stopped waiting for someone to prove they’ve changed—and started watching to see if they just have
