I said nothing as we went inside the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor, the chamber immediately lifting us into the air. When the door opened, my mother was walking toward us, and my ears instantly filled with the sound of business—fingers typing on keyboards, phones ringing, heels clicking as assistants and advisors moved about the space.

“Welcome home,” my mother said, her arms outstretched, hugging me from across the walker. “It’s wonderful to see you finally shaved.” She squeezed tighter. “And dressed … I wish you had put on a tie.”

“Nice to see you too, Mom.”

She’d called daily since I’d gotten home from the hospital and visited every other afternoon. But when I entered this building, I wasn’t her son; I was her business partner, and that was the way I’d been treated since earning an executive title.

As she greeted Whitney, my father approached and shook my hand. “Son, it’s about time you returned. Things aren’t running the same without you; we really need you here.”

I gave him a nod as my colleagues began to trickle over along with their team of assistants, a large crowd forming as they stood in line to speak to me. Kind words were shared, and some even hugged me.

I tried my best to take it all in, and when the path finally began to clear, I led Whitney toward my office. “Please shut the door,” I said to her once we were inside.

She quickly caught up and guided me into my chair. I used the edge of the desk to pull myself closer, my brain taking me back to the thousands of times I’d sat in this seat. But now, the cushion was stiffer than I remembered, the back too reclined.

Whitney’s face softened as she looked at me. “You did amazingly well back there. How do you feel?”

“Sore,” I exhaled. “And overloaded.” I paused. “That was a lot.”

She pushed the keyboard out of the way, making room to sit. “But I know for a fact that’s the longest you’ve stood since surgery and definitely the fastest you’ve walked.”

We both knew why I’d hauled ass; she just didn’t say it.

“And never once did I see pain on your face. You hid it well.” Her hand went to my button-down, playing with the collar. “Maybe it was good to get your mind off your back for a little while.”

The pain had been there; it just hadn’t gnawed until I got into my office and needed to take the weight off my legs. Thoughts of work had been doing that instead, the heaviness still consuming me.

While I stayed silent, she glanced around the room, swinging her legs under the desk. “Just as gorgeous as I imagined.”