A couple of days later, my realtor called and informed me that my previous house had been sold.
The news brought a sense of closure.
That weekend, I visited Liam and met his wife and their children.
For the first time in years, I felt like I belonged somewhere again.
My family.
The family I had returned to.
The family that made me feel whole again.
Liam and I continued the conversation we had started during lunch earlier that week.
“Since you like photography and you have been on the payroll all this time, why don’t you put your talent to work?” he said.
“How?” I asked.
“Architectural photography,” Liam explained. “Instead of our company outsourcing it, why don’t you do it?”
I thought about it seriously.Was I ready for that kind of responsibility again? Could working together help repair the damage between us?Liam was the one who suggested it.He wanted to fix things too.Working together might actually help us rebuild what we had lost.
I agreed.
I made a mental note to inform Andrea and Marjorie, the two women I had hired to manage my gallery. They handled my schedule and helped sell my work, but now they would need to balance that with my photography work for Liam’s company.
I started visitingLiam on weekends or dropping by for dinner on weeknights, sometimes even staying overnight.
“Remember the time you stole Dad’s Mustang to impress your girlfriend in high school?” I asked him one evening after Jessica and the kids had gone to bed.
“I didn’t steal it,” Liam said with a grin. “I borrowed it.”
We both burst out laughing.
As my relationship with Liam improved, my visits to my therapist gradually decreased. My physical and mental health continued to improve as well.
Still, there was one thing I had been avoiding.
Silvia had told me I would know when I was ready.
Over the past few days, I had started to feel that moment approaching.
One afternoon, I stopped by Jiya’s house.
When I walked inside, I saw her running around the living room playing with Lucas while Emma lay in her crib laughing.
I had not been able to visit for a while because I was working full-time with Liam’s company while still handling photography gigs around the village.
“Hi! What a nice surprise,” Jiya said when she saw me.
Lucas shouted excitedly and ran toward me.
Jiya picked Emma up from the crib. “Look who’s here to see you, Emma,” she said as she handed her to me.
The moment I held Emma, my heart fluttered. An undeniable chemistry, like a father and daughter, had been imprinted between us. I hugged Lucas while balancing Emma in my arms.
Geeta brought us green tea, and we sat together at the dining table.
