---- Chapter 18 18 Austin, Texas. Anew city. A new life. "New Leaf Designs." Sarah Chen, my partner, my friend, greeted me at the tiny office space we'd rented. It was small, but it had great light. And potential. Like me, | hoped. "Welcome home, Ava," Sarah said, pulling me into a hug. Our team was small. Me, Sarah, and two bright, eager interns. We had a few small projects lined up. A kitchen remodel. A coffee shop redesign. Nothing glamorous. But it was work. Honest work. Work that used my skills, my passion. Work that slowly, painstakingly, began to heal the raw wounds Ethan had inflicted. | poured myself into it. Long hours. Late nights. Designing. Drafting. Meeting with clients. It was exhausting. And exhilarating. | named our first big pitch "The Phoenix Project" - a community arts center for a neglected neighborhood. Rising from the ashes. Sarah loved it. "Perfect," she said. "For them. And for you." ---- We faced setbacks. Budget cuts. Permit delays. But we persevered. My determination, once focused on the "Breaking Point Ledger," now fueled our fledgling firm. And then, we won. Our first major commission. "The Phoenix Project" was a go. The local news did a small piece on us. "New Female-Led Design Firm Revitalizes Community." We celebrated with cheap pizza and even cheaper champagne in our little office. Liam Walker, a talented young architect we'd recently hired, raised his plastic cup. "To Ava Miller," he said, his eyes shining with an admiration that made me blush. "The most talented, tenacious architect | know. And to New Leaf Designs." | felt a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the champagne. Liam. He'd joined us a few months ago. Quiet, intense, incredibly gifted. He'd seen something in my preliminary sketches for The Phoenix Project, a spark that others had missed. He'd believed in it. In me. | remembered his interview. His portfolio was impressive, but it was the quiet confidence in his eyes, the passion in his voice when he talked about sustainable design, that had convinced me. I'd taken a chance on him. Just like Austin was taking a chance on me. ---- Now, looking at his smiling face, at Sarah's beaming pride, at the interns' excited chatter, | felt a sense of contentment | hadn't thought possible. We were building something. Together. Something new. Something good.