ETHAN'S POV
Her hand found mine, warm and steady. "No, you don't. But you get to show up. Every single day. And that's more than most people ever do."
I exhaled. "I just want to get it right."
"We're both learning, Ethan," she said softly. "But you're already doing it right just by being here."
---
Later in the afternoon, I found myself in my home office, not because I had work, but because it was a place I used to retreat to. Now, it felt like a room full of echoes. Power no longer gave me comfort.
There were folders on the table, reminders of pending investments and strategic partnerships. But instead of opening them, I opened my journal, a gift Ava gave me months ago, one I had never used.
I picked up a pen and began to write.
