Work had also become a sanctuary. The sole location in which I could imagine was that everything was ordinary, in which I could immerse myself in reports, strategic meetings, and boundless tasks.
It was more comfortable that way—to let myself be distracted by deadlines and office politics instead of confronting the burden of that which I knew.
Still, some issues troubled me, haunting me like a persistent itch that I couldn't scratch.
Lucas.
It had been weeks since I last saw him, and something about his absence felt off.
He wasn’t merely a worker; he was Nathaniel Sterling’s shadow, second in position at all costs, in the background.
Yet now, he is no more.
That morning, as I worked on completing a budget report, I made a decision. I would ask. Carefree. Unquestioningly.
Nathaniel
