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Chapter 22: A Quiet Effort

Author: Mary Gilliam
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-12 05:35:33

Lucas’s POV

I’d spent hours in my office today, looking over everything I could find on Mandy’s financial situation. It wasn’t just the bills or the debts that haunted her. No, it was something deeper—something that clung to her even when she smiled, even when she pretended everything was fine.

The weight of it all had been too much for her, and I’d been too blind to see it.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my face. How the hell had I not seen it before? Mandy had been living like she was carrying the weight of the world, all while I’d been focused on my own damn problems.

Her pride, her independence—they had always been part of who she was, but I never stopped to think about what those things might cost her.

I thought about the way she’d looked at me the night before—unsure, guarded, but still willing to listen. There was hope in her eyes, but it was fragile, like glass. And I didn’t want to break it.

I knew I had a lot of work to do to make up for everything I’d done. But
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