Chapter 9 - The Work of Healing
Over the next year, life settled into a disciplined rhythm. Bella took college courses in sustainable landscape design, a passion she had abandoned years ago to become the corporate hostess Julian had needed. She converted the cottage's overgrown backyard into a flourishing botanical nursery.
Julian, meanwhile, shocked Wall Street by stepping down as CEO of Sterling Enterprises, transitioning to a non-executive chairman role. He relocated part-time to Boston, just two hours away from Maine, and began seeing a family counselor weekly to unravel his work addiction and childhood trauma.
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His visits with Leo occurred strictly every two weeks at a local public park. He arrived promptly, learned how to change diapers, sang lullabies off-key, and sat quietly on the grass when the toddler cried. He never complained about the cold weather or the modest surroundings.
Julian was learning to show up, not as a king demanding homage, but as a student of fatherhood.
