Kayla
Walking away from Myles Tech was one of the hardest decisions I’d ever made, not because I didn’t love my job or appreciate everything Kade and Ysis had done for me, but because somewhere along the way I’d gotten comfortable helping everybody else build their dreams that I’d stopped chasing my own.
Fashion had always been my first love.
Long before boardrooms, quarterly reports, and running someone else’s calendar, I dreamed about creating.
I wanted to design pieces that made women stand a little taller when they caught their reflection, clothing that reminded them they were already powerful before they ever slipped it on. That dream never left me.
I just spent so many years putting everyone else’s first that I convinced myself mine could wait. Watching Ice bet on herself reminded me that dreams don’t disappear just because you’ve ignored them. They simply wait for you to become brave enough to chase them.
Instead of continuing to tell myself “one day,” I emptied my savings account, finished my business plan, and walked into Yuki’s office with nothing more than an idea and enough faith to believe she’d see the vision I couldn’t stop thinking about.
To my surprise, she didn’t just listen—she believed in it.
Six months later, the two of us are officially partners, building a luxury fashion house from the ground up, combining her years of experience with my creativity to create something that belongs to both of us.
Looking back now, it almost feels poetic that two women whose lives had once been shaped by the same man’s destruction are now helping one another build something he’ll never be able to touch.
Business has been moving faster than either of us expected.
Meetings have replaced lunch breaks, sketches cover my dining room table more often than plates do, fabrics have become my new obsession, and every collection reminds me that betting on yourself is terrifying right up until the moment you realize it was the best decision you ever made.
For the first time in my life, I’m not helping someone else build their empire. I’m building one with my own name attached to it.
Outside of work, life has been beautiful in ways I never expected.
Watching Ysis become the mother she was always destined to be has healed pieces of me I didn’t even know were broken.
Those twins have completely stolen my heart, and being their godmother is a title I wear with more pride than any job I’ve ever had.
There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for Kasen and Kinsley, and judging by the way they light up every time Gmomma Kay walks through the door, I’d like to think the feeling is mutual.
Some friendships come and go with the seasons, but Ysis is proof that God really will send you the family you weren’t born into.
She’s my best friend, my sister, and one of the greatest blessings this life has ever given me.
As for Isaiah...That man is still somewhere outside my door trying to convince me he’s ready, and I’ll give him credit—he’s persistent.
Flowers show up just because it’s Tuesday.
Jewelry gets delivered for absolutely no reason.
He somehow keeps finding the same restaurants I’m eating at, and every time I turn around he’s standing there with that grin that used to get him out of everything.
The difference is, it doesn’t work anymore. I love Isaiah. I probably always will. But love has never been the problem.
I’m not asking him to buy me another purse, another building, another vacation, or another apology.
I’m asking him to choose himself over the streets the same way I’ve finally chosen myself over fear.
Until that day comes, I’m going to keep building my business, keep traveling where I want to travel, keep meeting whoever I want to meet, and keep living the life I’ve worked too hard to create.
If he wants a place in it, he’s going to have to earn it, because this version of Kayla isn’t waiting around for promises anymore. She’s waiting for proof.
For so many years, I prayed that everyone around me would find the love they deserved. Watching Kade and Ysis build the family they’d fought so hard for reminded me that prayers have a funny way of coming full circle.
Now...I’m finally praying the same prayer for myself.