---- Chapter 11 Jody POV: The morning sun streamed through the window of the small on-site apartment at Sterling Innovations, waking me from a restless sleep. | sat up, a moment of disorientation washing over me before the new reality settled in. | was here. | was free. It had been seven days since |' d walked out of that mansion, out of that life. Seven days of throwing myself into my work with a feverish intensity, using complex equations and molecular structures as a shield against the memories. | worked until | was too exhausted to think, too tired to feel. It was the only way | knew how to survive. | was already in the lab' s analysis room, reviewing spectrographic data, when Dr. Chaney walked in, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand "Burning the midnight oil again, Jody?" he asked, his eyes kind but concerned. "You know, the lab is open 24/7, but that doesn' t mean you have to be." | gave him a weak smile. "l know. | just... | had a breakthrough on the polymer' s tensile strength, and | wanted to run the numbers while it was fresh in my mind." ---- "| have no doubt," he said, his smile proud. "But tonight, you re taking a break. The team is going out for dinner to celebrate the new grant, and you are coming." | opened my mouth to protest, to make an excuse, but he held up a hand. "That wasn't a request. | haven't seen you do anything but work since you arrived. You need to connect with people, Jody. It' s part of healing." He was right. | had been isolating myself, hiding in the sterile, predictable world of science. | had forgotten how to just be with people. "Okay," | agreed, a flicker of apprehension in my chest. "I' Il come." The restaurant was a cozy, family-owned place that smelled of garlic and herbs. The team welcomed me with open arms, their easy laughter and friendly teasing a balm to my raw nerves. "We were starting to think you were a ghost who haunted the mass spectrometer," one of the senior researchers, a cheerful man named Ben, joked. | laughed, a real, genuine laugh. It felt rusty, unfamiliar, but good. They remembered | didn' t like spicy food and made sure to order things | would enjoy. The simple act of consideration, so absent from my life for so long, brought a lump to my throat. ---- This was what it felt like to be seen, to be cared for. It was a world away from the grand, empty gestures and conditional affection | had mistaken for love. We were halfway through dinner when Dr. Chaney' s phone rang. His brow furrowed as he listened. "Delayed? By how long?" He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright, text me when you land." He hung up, looking frustrated. "My nephew' s flight from Stanford just got delayed by three hours. | was supposed to pick him up." "We can go get him after dinner," Ben offered. Dr. Chaney shook his head. "You' ve all been drinking. And | had a glass of wine myself." A thought occurred to me. "I haven' t had anything to drink," | said, holding up my glass of iced tea. "| can go. | don't mind." Dr. Chaney' s face lit up with relief. "Jody, would you? That would be a lifesaver. His name is Evander Estrada. He' s joining our team next week. |' Il text you his picture and flight info." "Of course," | said, already grabbing my purse. "Consider it done." It felt good to be useful, to be able to help someone without any strings attached. As | walked out of the warm, noisy restaurant into the cool night air, | felt a sense of peace settle ---- over me for the first time in a very long time. | was building a new life, one small, kind act at a time.