he leaned against the cool wall of the corridor, taking a deep, shuddering breath. The sweat on he

waiting for her wit

said, her voice filled with genuine admiration

g the water. Her hands were still steady, a s

hem. But my God, you were on fire in there. I thought you were

es. It was a habit, a small, unconscious gest

aid. "I'm just

ressed' is an understatement." Linda's tone was warm, maternal. "Honestly, Chloe, you need

to have this conve

to file," she said, tryi

g her. "Just listen for a second. What do you

n easy smile surfaced in her mind. Dr. Miller. He was hands

ctor," she said

ng her voice conspiratorially. "He's a Harvard grad,

ng, of letting another man into her life, into her space, felt repulsive. Th

the right headspace

can't let one bad marriage ruin your chance at happiness forever. Leo is a

h unintentional,

r. Leo Miller himself appeared at the e

t up when h

and genuine. "Congratulations. I heard y

Where Julian was a storm, all sharp edges and inte

"Leo, I was just telling Chl

. Sullivan, I know this is forward, but I was wonderin

mind scr

work until she felt nothing. But she looked at Leo's hopefu

is was t

something new. A fresh start. An act of defiance that proved sh

lsive thought, born fro

k a dee

e heard he

"That's great! Really great. I'll meet y

her voice sounding d

ed back against the wall, the momentary resolve drain

ad sa

to, but because she nee

. Underneath, the marks on her skin felt like they wer