CATHERINE
The silence seemed to close in on me and the unease about T’s disappearance crawled back over me like vines wrapping around a crumbling wall. Radio silence wasn’t safety. It was a warning.
I told myself to drown in work instead. And thankfully, the mountain of paperwork before me was deep enough to bury me for days. So I dug in, losing track of time until a knock at the door made my head snap up.
My heart forgot how to function for half a second. I watched as he lingered at the door, reluctance in his stance, like he wasn’t sure if he should step in or go back out.
“Ronald,” I breathed.
For a moment, I thought I had conjured him out of longing, but then he spoke.
“I heard you were back,” he said finally, his warm voice wrapped around me like a blanket I didn’t know I needed
