the plumbing, the fence — all the things Ross had promised but never did. Tension exploded. Ross was rattled. Linda was livid. The girls looked confused. Then I revealed the real kicker:

: a photo I’d taken of Linda’s open laptop — a chart titled “Potential Matches for Ross” with the girls’ names and notes. Ross lost it. The girls left. Linda packed up. Later, as we finally sat down in peace, he apologized — truly. For being blind to everything I was carrying. For letting his mother take over. For forgetting how amazing I was. And I forgave him. Because I had my own good news: I got the promotion. That night, for the first time in months, I wasn’t just surviving. I was finally breathing — and winning.