Nina's clinic smelled like clean linen and eucalyptus.It was nothing like the clinic Ethan had taken me to four years ago — that pale blue waiting room with the fish tank and the magazines and the doctor who had spoken to my husband more than he'd spoken to me. Nina's space was warm. The lighting was soft. The receptionist greeted me by my maiden name without blinking, and I felt something loosen in my shoulders the moment I walked through the door.This was safe ground.Nina met me in the hallway outside the examination room, already in her white coat, her natural hair pulled back, her eyes doing the thing they always did when she was in doctor mode — sharp, focused, running assessments she didn't voice out loud.She hugged me first. Long and firm. The kind of hug that says I see what this is costing you without requiring either of us to say it.Then she pulled back, held my shoulders, looked at my face."How are you sleeping?" she asked."I'm not," I said."Eating?""Enough."She n
Last Updated : 2026-04-02 Read more