Adeline POV
The hum of the centrifuge hadn’t left my ears all day. Even when I turned it off, the sound stayed. It was like a huge reminder that I lived more with machines than people. It's been twelve hours of cross-checking data, calibrating instruments, and pretending the world outside didn’t exist.
By the time I peeled off my gloves, my hands had ethanol as a second skin. I was tired. The other researchers were long gone, leaving the lab echoing with every step I took. I closed the last file I was cross-checking, slipped it into the system, and told myself I would rest tonight. I had to pick the kids first, then go home to rest.
The sun had already started to dip when I reached the kindergarten. Laughter was the first welcome I got as it floated through the air, light and free. Thi
