I was in the middle of a meeting when my phone suddenly rang. Normally, I wouldn’t even have it on me during meetings, but ever since I met Violet, it had become a habit. There was a part of me that always hoped she’d reach out—call me, text me—about anything at all. The possibility that she might need me, for any reason, was enough to keep the device close by, even when I knew I shouldn’t.
It was a Friday afternoon when the call I had been waiting for finally came through, the one I’d been longing to receive for what felt like forever. As soon as the ringtone broke the monotony of the meeting, my hand was already moving toward my pocket. My eyes dropped to the screen, and I felt a surge of happiness rise in my chest. Her name flashed across the screen: Sunshine. Alongside it was her pict
