CHAPTER 12: The Cost of Integrity
Victory didn’t feel like victory.
Not at first.
Several major donors withdrew support.
Two large projects were temporarily suspended.
Staff morale dropped under the weight of uncertainty.
Leah felt every consequence.
Late nights turned into sleepless ones.
Meals were forgotten.
Doubt crept in—quiet, persistent.
One evening, she sat alone in the empty boardroom, staring at the skyline.
Nathan found her there.
“You’re carrying too much of this,” he said.
Leah didn’t look at him.
“People trusted us,” she replied. “And we let them down.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“No,” he said. “Someone betrayed that trust. You’re the one fighting to restore it.”
Leah exhaled slowly.
“It doesn’t feel that simple.”
“It never is,” Nathan said.
A pause.
Then, softer—
“But it’s still worth it.”
Leah finally looked at him.
May you like
And for the first time since it all began—
she allowed herself to believe that might be true.
