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
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