Liam moved behind my chair, hands on my shoulders. "You're nothing like them. You know that, right?"
"Some days." I leaned back against him. "Other days I wonder if surviving this has made me too cynical. Too harsh. If I'm projecting my own hurt onto everyone else."
"You're being realistic. There's a difference." His hands moved, gently massaging the tension from my shoulders. "Vi, you've earned the right to demand real accountability. From your clients. From the people in your life. From yourself."
I closed my eyes, let myself relax for the first time in hours.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "For everything. The investment. The office. The belief that I could do this."
"You're welcome. But Vi?" His voice was close to my ear now. "I didn't do any of this because I'm charitable. I did it
