I opened it. “You got it back?”

“Enough to start. Repairs, basics… your studio.”

“Daniel…”

“Come on,” he said softly, nodding ahead. “Let’s go see it.”

“Okay… okay.”

As we drove away, I didn’t look back.

“Hey,” I said after a moment. “Next time… don’t hide things from me like that.”

“Next time, don’t assume the worst.”

“Fair.” Then softer, more serious, “My mother couldn’t break us.”

“But you thought I could,” Daniel said.

“…Yeah, I did.”

He nodded once. “Guess that’s a lesson for both of us.”

I leaned back, the folder resting on my lap.

“Okay,” I whispered.

This time, it meant something different. We were starting over.