The rest of the day dragged on like a bad dream I couldn't wake from. After my talk with Lisa at the beach, her words kept echoing in my head—encouraging, wild, freeing in a way that scared me. I drove home in a daze, the sun dipping low, casting long shadows on the road. Mark was in the living room when I walked in, his laptop open on his lap, typing away at some work email. He looked up, smiling that easy smile of his. 'Hey, babe. How was Lisa?'

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to be ...