Page 38 of Broken Destiny

The man who had betrayed my trust.

And now he sat in front of me while I had to present to him.

I walked over to the laptop, fully aware that his eyes were following me. I prepared the presentation that would be displayed on the projector. With my back turned toward him, I wiped my clammy hands against my jacket.

Was I uncomfortable?

Yes.

Was I scared?

Yes.

Was it possible I would falter during this presentation?

Yes.

Here I was, about to present my late husband’s dream while the man I once loved sat behind me, deciding whether to invest in it or not. My past stood behind me, my present stood in front of me, and my future seemed to be waiting on the next few minutes.

The screen lit up.

Cole’s Community Living!

The words shone in front of me, and everything changed.

My breathing steadied, and my spine straightened.

I had worked incredibly hard on this project.

It was more than a presentation.

It was a promise… a promise to Cole, to Liam, and to myself.

My fear faded, and my confidence returned.

I had neither committed a crime nor done anything wrong. I did not need to be afraid of anyone or anything. If I had faced my past with my mother, then I could face Caleb too, especially when he was the one who had betrayed me.

And if he was not interested in the project, then that would not be the end of the world. There were tons of other fish in the sea. He wasnot the only potential investor. He was the first, but he certainly would not be the last.

I turned around.

A calm strength moved through me, and the panic that had gripped me only moments earlier disappeared. I rolled my shoulders back, lifted my chin, and met his gaze without flinching.

“I’d like to introduce you to a one-of-a-kind community that brings the old and the new together… Cole’s Community Living.”

“This is great, Jiya,”Liam chirped as we walked back toward my office. “Your first presentation, your first client, and you’ve already got yourself a deal. I’m so proud of you.”

“Yes,” I replied, fidgeting with the button on my jacket. “There’s something I need to?—”

“Liam,” Jessica said as she walked up. “Hi, Jiya!”

“You’re just in time, honey,” he said. “You won’t believe what just happened.”

Liam told his wife about the Evans group becoming the investor. I was proud of myself, truly proud, but that pride came with a cost. The man from my past was now linked to my future, helping bring my late husband’s dream to life.

I needed to be honest with Liam and tell him about Caleb. It was not fair to keep him in the dark about my history with our new investor.

But now was not the right time. I needed to wait, even though the truth pressed against my heart, demanding to be spoken.