The week after Katherine’s wedding, the house felt quieter than usual.
The soft echo of laughter, music, and Isabella’s endless questions about “happily ever after” had faded. Life was settling back into its routine—but for Marian, nothing felt routine at all.
She stood in thier bedroom, suitcase open on the bed, carefully folding her blouses one by one. New York.
Just the thought of it made her chest tighten.
She wasn’t going back for long—just to submit her final report about her Los Angeles assignment. But she knew this trip would change everything. Because along with her report, she planned to submit her resignation.
Five years ago, she had left Los Angeles with a broken heart and a new job in New York. She had told herself it was for growth, for independence, for career advanceme
