But rock bottom had turned out to be the solid ground upon which I rebuilt my life.
“How does it feel?” Evelyn asked softly, watching me.
I looked over at the nursery corner, where Cora was happily playing with a plush wooden rattle in her crib, the afternoon sunlight framing her in a warm halo of gold.
“It feels like I can finally breathe,” I said, a genuine, radiant smile spreading across my face.
We sat together on the balcony, sipping tea and reviewing the blueprints for a new coastal home I had decided to build near the ocean—a bright, airy sanctuary built on my own terms, designed specifically for my daughter to grow up surrounded by light, ocean air, and absolute safety.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting deep violet and orange reflections across the river below, my phone chimed on the table.
