CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE – A NEW START

Over the next few weeks, as Nolan continued to recover and they settled into their new roles at Maine Enterprises, Logan and Deonna began the delicate process of rebuilding their relationship. They started small, with coffee dates after dropping Kayla off at school and long talks in the evenings after work. They were careful to keep things professional at the office, not wanting to complicate their working relationship or invite gossip. But in private moments, stolen glances and gentle touches spoke volumes about the growing intimacy between them. One evening, as they walked through the gardens of the Maine estate, Kayla running ahead to chase fireflies, Logan turned to Deonna with a thoughtful expression. "You know," he said, his voice soft in the twilight, "I've been thinking a lot about what went wrong between us before. And I think one of our biggest problems was that we stopped talking to each other. Really talking, I mean." Deonna nodded, remembering the silence that had grow