Around her, the office hummed with its usual rhythm, phones ringing, fingers typin

ffice, the indifference in his voice, and the cold sta

ugh she wanted that silence, and she repeatedly told herself it was be

dance. But Damon Windsor did not even blink when they passed in the

o

tention. She wanted

plain the new way p

ly Tania

peculative. Aurora shook it off. Maybe she was imagining it.

. Reports did not judge. Work was safe. It was the only part of her

ind kept

at night came rushing back, the feel of his breath, the sound of his

been a

knew

id it ha

not erase th

escaped to

age and forgotten corners, no one cared about the lonely rooftop exit t

th. The city buzzed beneath her, cars, people, and life.

hone

essage fro

groceries tonight. And

n't already ca

s determined to remind her s

her phone and st

ould never meet. She was the responsible one, the child who never

a secret that would

t. But something insid

had not contacted her again. No emails. No s

e had f

just really go

y, she wa

4:37

l pinged int

RE: Summa

Damon

me before yo

omach

ag

mind, and it had taken her all weekend t

did not want anyone seeing her go in there, especially not Tan

lightly, jus

me

ain, but this time he

r a second, maybe

een quiet

that's what

chair. "You always ass

ere this was going. "W

didn't call you i

oat tig

en

ing. And I'd rather hear it fr

tly still. "I do

d out a slim silver object,

ood ra

t across

nal footage," he said. "Ele

the drive. The

ou wat

wanted to give you

opped. "What do y

on said carefully. "But I need to kno

ut in. "Taken

mly. "If you felt

ent s

g windows, the weight of power and money, all of it vanished. I

lk about. It happened. It won't happen aga

"Then I won't br

oo

rned t

the door handle, his v

ror

d over he

were un

appens... anything..

. "Why? So we can ma

what I should've

ask what

't want

as waiting with a long list of complaints. Her fath

own needs asi

r dim yellow light, she finally opened

en ho

wrote one

nk I'm