Chapter 12
Katherine didn’t let the night weigh on her.
She had expected to see Julian. She had even braced herself for it. But when the moment came, there was no trembling, no racing heart, no second thoughts. Just clarity.
The past didn’t own her anymore.
Back at her apartment, Noah walked her to the door, his hand resting lightly at her back. He didn’t press, didn’t ask questions. He just looked at her with a kind of quiet understanding that only comes from experience.
“You okay?” he asked gently.
She smiled, tired but honest. “I am. More than I expected.”
“Good. Because you were incredible in there.”
She chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. “Thanks for coming with me.”
He shrugged. “Couldn’t pass up the chance to be seen with the most powerful woman in the room.”
Katherine rolled her eyes, but there was warmth in her smile. “Flatterer.”
“Only when it’s true.” He paused. “I know tonight wasn’t easy. But for what it’s worth… he looked like a man who just realized he destroyed the only good thing in his life.”
Katherine didn’t respond right away. Her gaze dropped for a moment before she met his eyes again. “That’s not my burden anymore.”
And with that, she said goodnight.
Inside, she poured herself a glass of water and stood by the window, watching the city breathe. She thought back to the version of herself who would’ve cried in that moment—who would’ve replayed Julian’s expression in her head over and over, wondering if he felt anything.
But that woman didn’t exist anymore.
Now, Katherine didn’t need validation. She didn’t need Julian’s regret.
What she needed was exactly what she had—a quiet home, her own name, her own strength.
And maybe—just maybe—a future that wasn’t haunted by someone else’s absence.
She sat down, pulled out her laptop, and opened the pitch deck she’d been working on for weeks. It was for her own brand—an independent company she’d been quietly building in the background. A vision that had once felt too far, too risky, too ambitious.
Now it felt possible.
Real.
Hers.
She took a breath, then started typing again. And for the first time in years, the silence around her didn’t feel empty.
It felt like peace.