Chapter 9
Six months later, Summit Properties was stronger than ever.
We expanded into three new cities. We hired more people. We stayed true to our original mission: homes for people who deserved them.
I stood on stage at our annual company gala, Elias beside me.
“Ten years ago,” I told the crowd, “two people sat at a kitchen table with nothing but a dream. One stayed silent. One carried the weight alone. Today, we stand together.”
The room erupted in applause.
After the speech, my dad came over. He handed me a small box.
Inside was a new ring—not a wedding ring, but a silver band engraved with the word “Summit.”
“For the real founders,” he said.
Elias put his hand on my shoulder. “We did it.”
That night, I went home and took down the last photo of Daniel from the wall. I replaced it with a picture of Elias, my dad, my mom, and me—all smiling.
I thought about the woman who’d mopped her own floor while her husband laughed at her. I thought about the woman who poured water on a thief and then built an empire back up.
I was still that woman. But now she was free.
I called my lawyer and asked him to close the divorce file. Final. Irreversible.
May you like
He said, “Ready for the next chapter?”
“I was born for it,” I said.
