I never thought breaking up with Josh would feel like freedom. We’d been together since college—comfortable, predictable, safe. But when I told him I needed space, something in me cracked open.

Now I’m in New York, sharing an apartment with my sister Meg, who swears she’ll never have kids or fall in love. I work as a paralegal, drowning in paperwork and second thoughts. Then there’s Robin, my wild Australian coworker, who drags me to bars and insists I ‘put myself out there.’

I tried. I went on dates. I even slept with Tom, the bartender who laughs too loud and never stays with anyone longer than a night. For a while, I thought maybe David was different—sweet, grieving, with a daughter who made me feel like I belonged.

But he shut me out. Told me I wasn’t her mother.

And now? I’m standing at the edge of another birthday, wondering if I’m building a life—or just avoiding one.