My maternity leave ended, and half my responsibilities belong to someone else now

Dear Delyara, I returned from maternity leave three weeks ago. Before leave, I led major client accounts. While I was away, my colleague covered them. He did well. Management has decided he should keep most of them “for continuity.” I now have smaller projects and a vague role helping with strategy. Everyone insists this is not a demotion. My title and salary are unchanged. My work is not. I spend meetings listening to another person present relationships I built over six years. The worst part is that I like him. He sends me updates and asks for advice. None of this is his fault. My manager says they are protecting me from overload while I settle back into motherhood. I did not ask to be protected. Yesterday, a client I used to manage said, “How lovely you can take things a bit easier now.” I smiled. I had spent months afraid people would think having a baby changed my ambition. Apparently, they made the decision before I returned long enough to show them who came back.