Lucy hadn't slept. Again.
Which, to be fair, wasn't new. Startup life had trained her for sleepless nights—bootstrapped dreams didn't leave room for REM cycles. Her usual insomnia was filled with frantic coding, obsessive UX tweaks, and way too much caffeine. But this time, it wasn't bugs in the system keeping her awake. It was dread, straight up and undiluted.
The investor pullout wasn't a speed bump. It was an open manhole she hadn't seen coming, and now her entire business was teetering on the edge of a financial sinkhole. The app—the one she'd spent nights, weekends, and three birthdays building—was about to flatline. Terminal. Game over. Goodnight, sweet algorithm.
And the worst part? This time, it wasn't just her pride on the line. This time, she had Cole.
