Today, the company owned commercial properties across several states, employed hundreds of people, and carried a valuation exceeding nine figures.
My success had cost me holidays, friendships, sleepless nights, and more personal sacrifices than I cared to remember.
But none of those sacrifices compared to the moment I became a mother.
My son, Leo, was eleven months old, with soft brown curls, enormous dark eyes, and a laugh that could make the worst day disappear.
His biological father had disappeared before he was born, leaving me to face pregnancy and motherhood without the partnership I had expected.
Then Adrian Hayes entered my life.
He was charming without seeming arrogant, attentive without being demanding, and remarkably patient with my complicated schedule.
He accompanied me to prenatal appointments, assembled Leo’s crib, and spent entire nights rocking my newborn when I was too exhausted to stand.
When Leo first reached toward him and babbled something resembling “Dada,” Adrian had covered his face with both hands.
