By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, I had already sent Brenda at least five texts and called her twenty-seven times, and she hadn’t answered a single one. I wasn’t the type to panic over these things, but after hearing nothing from her for two days straight, I was starting to feel scared.
So when I finally saw her walk into the office that morning, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding.
She wasn’t late, but she wasn’t early either, arriving just in time to avoid being noticed. Normally, Brenda would walk into the office with her usual energy, greeting people, smiling, maybe even making a joke about how much she hated mornings. But today, she just… walked in quietly, head slightly down, as if she didn’t want anyone to notice her.
I watched as she set her bag
