Emma's Journey

Emma's POV

I needed time alone. To think. To remember.

Left Alex with Sarah. Told Jake I needed a few hours. He understood. Let me go without questions.

Drove to the building where I worked as cleaner a year ago. Tall glass structure. Business district. Where I scrubbed floors at night.

Looked up at it. Remembered how small I felt back then. How invisible.

Now I was director of marketing. Partner. Building something real.

But part of me still felt like that cleaning woman. Not good enough to enter through the front door.

Next stop: the tiny apartment where Alex and I first lived when we returned to the States. One bedroom. Cramped. Barely affordable.

Stood outside. Remembered the fear. The uncertainty. The constant worry about money.

We survived. More than survived. Thrived.

Then the park. Where I used to take Alex when I could not afford activities. Free playground. Free space. Enough.

Sat on a bench. Watched kids play. Remembered pushing Alex on swings. Making up games because we ha