For once, I felt accomplished.
“Do you think you could approve a day out for me?” I asked Silvia during one of our sessions. “I want to attend a friend’s restaurant opening.”
Her eyebrows furrowed.
“I got an invitation,” I said, showing it to her. “I co-own the restaurant.”
“Hmm... let me check for you,” Silvia said. “If the management does approve, it will only be for a couple of hours, and you will be chaperoned.”
“Not a problem,” I said, nodding.
I wanted to be there for the event.
I wanted to be there to see my wife’s dream come alive again.
I wanted to see the restaurant the way Eva had once imagined it—full of life, laughter, and people enjoying the place we had dreamed of building together.
But that was not the only reason.
I also wanted to be there for the woman and her son who had walked into my broken life and refused to walk away.
The memory of Jiya standing in my destroyed living room flashed through my mind. She had looked straight at me while I was at my worst—drunk, angry, shattered—and she had not flinched. Instead, she had stayed.
And Lucas.
That kid had somehow managed to break through a wall that two years of grief had built around me.
The idea no longer felt like walking into ruins, but like stepping into something worth rebuilding.
16
JIYA
During the weeks of the renovations, I worked tirelessly to make sure everything was perfect. Every detail of the restaurant felt personal to me, as though each decision carried the weight of my future on its shoulders. Despite the constant activity around the project, having a stranger living in my house troubled me.
Geeta had done nothing to make me distrust her. She cooked, cleaned, and quietly kept the house running in ways that made my already overwhelming days a little easier.
Still, the unease lingered.
I checked the cameras constantly.
Sometimes I told myself it was just a habit, but deep down I knew the fear had never truly left me since the days when Jeremy had posed a threat to my life. Back then, checking the security cameras had become second nature as I searched every shadow for danger.
Now the same instinct followed me here.
Even though Geeta seemed gentle and kind, I was not yet ready to leave Lucas alone with her. Trust had to be earnedslowly, and my past had taught me that safety could never be taken for granted.
A few days after she came into my life, I walked into the nursery and found her packing her small bag.
“Where are you going?” I asked, surprised.
She looked up immediately. “Didi, I here almost four days. Too long. You drop me to shelter. I no burden on you.”
“You are not a burden,” I replied softly. “Have you spoken to your cousin?”
Geeta lowered her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. “My cousin no picking up phone anymore.”
A wave of sadness washed over me. She had come to this country hoping to work honestly and support her family, only to be beaten, abandoned, and left alone. Her cousin had been her last hope, and now even that connection had disappeared.
