Now you've got me." Lena looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep showing up when it would be so much easier to walk away?" "Because I made a promise." "Promises break, Ethan. People leave." "I'm not people.
And I'm not leaving." She stared at him for a long moment, then she leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn't planned. It wasn't calculated. It was raw and desperate and real.
Ethan pulled back, his heart racing. "Lena, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have" "No, it it's okay. I just" He ran a hand through his hair.
"I don't want to complicate things." "Things are already complicated." "Yeah, but this makes them more complicated." Lena looked away. "You're right. I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry. Just" He took a breath.
"Let's figure out the rest first. Then we can figure out us." "Is there an us?" Ethan didn't know how to answer that. Because the truth was, there had always been an us from the moment Elena was born, maybe even before that. "I don't know," he said honestly.
"But I'd like to find out." Lena nodded slowly. "Okay." "Me, too." The board meeting happened 3 days later. Lena walked in prepared for a fight. She'd brought documents, financial reports, proof that the company was thriving under her leadership despite the personal drama.
But the fight didn't come. Instead, the board chair, an older man named Richard Caldwell, looked at her across the table and said, "We're not here to question your leadership, Lena. We're here to make sure you have the support you need." Lena blinked. "I'm sorry?" "The company's doing well, better than well.
Revenue's up, retentions up, client satisfaction's up. Whatever you're doing in your personal life isn't affecting your professional performance. So as far as we're concerned, this is a non-issue." "But the article" "The article was trash journalism. We're not making decisions based on gossip." Lena felt relief flood through her.
"Thank you." "That said," Richard continued, "we do need to address the optics, not because we think you've done anything wrong, but because perception matters. We'd like to bring in a PR consultant, help you manage the narrative." "I can handle the narrative." "We know you can, but you shouldn't have to do it alone." Lena wanted to argue, but she was so tired. And for once, someone was offering help without strings attached. "Okay," she said, "bring in the consultant." Richard smiled.
"Good. We'll get someone lined up by next week." The meeting ended, and Lena walked out feeling lighter than she had in weeks. She called Ethan immediately. "It's over." "What's over?" "The board meeting.
They're not pushing back. They're actually being supportive." "That's amazing." "I know. I can't believe it." "I can. You're good at what you do, Lena.
They'd be idiots to let you go." Lena smiled. "Thanks." "Anytime." She hung up and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. For the first time in months, she felt like maybe, just maybe, they were going to be okay. But that night, Victoria showed up at her door.
"We need to talk," Victoria said, walking in without waiting for an invitation. "Mother, I'm tired. Can this wait?" "No, it can't." Victoria sat down on the couch, her expression serious. "I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me." "Okay." "Are you in love with him?" Lena froze.
"What?" "Ethan. Are you in love with him?" "I" "I don't know." "That's not an answer." "It's the only one I have." Victoria studied her for a long moment. "You kissed him." Lena's eyes widened. "How did you" "I have my ways.
And before you ask, no, I'm not spying on you. Someone saw you through the window and mentioned it." Lena sat down, her face burning. "It was a mistake." "Was it?" "Yes. We were both emotional, and it just happened.
It didn't mean anything." "Lena, I've known you your entire life, and I can tell when you're lying." Lena looked away. "Fine. Maybe it meant something, but that doesn't change anything." "It changes everything." "How?" Victoria leaned forward. "Because if you're in love with him, you need to figure out what that means for you, for Elena, for your future.
You can't keep pretending this is just co-parenting when it's clearly more than that." "What if it's not more? What if I'm just confused?" "Then you need to figure that out, too, but you can't keep running from it." Lena felt tears sting her eyes. "I don't know how to do this, Mother. I don't know how to be vulnerable, how to let someone in, how to trust that they won't leave." Victoria's expression softened.
"I know. And I'm sorry I didn't teach you that. I was so focused on making sure you were strong that I forgot to teach you it's okay to need people. You needed a dad, and he left." "Yes, he did.
And it broke me." "But that doesn't mean everyone will leave, Lena. Some people stay." "How do you know which ones?" "You don't. You just have to take the risk." Lena wiped her eyes. "I'm scared." "I know, but you're also brave, braver than I ever was." They sat in silence for a moment.
Then Victoria stood up and walked to the door. "For what it's worth," she said, "I think he's good for you. He challenges you. He shows up.
He doesn't run when things get hard. That's rare." "Does this mean you approve?" Victoria smiled slightly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but I'm willing to give him a chance." She left, and Lena sat alone in her apartment, thinking about everything her mother had said. Was she in love with Ethan?
She didn't know. But she wanted to find out. The next morning, Lena called Ethan and asked him to meet her at the park near her apartment. He showed up with Elena in the stroller, looking confused.