The first week without Alexa was louder than Damián expected.
Meetings blurred together. Conversations felt unfinished. Even the building itself seemed different—too bright, too empty, too aware of what was missing.
He told himself it was temporary discomfort. A necessary adjustment.
It wasn’t.
He caught himself listening for footsteps that never came. Looking toward corridors she no longer walked. Pausing mid-thought, expecting clarity to arrive the way it used to—quietly, without effort.
It didn’t.
Instead, pressure returned sharper than before.
“Are you alright?” Mathias asked one evening as they reviewed documents in the CEO’s office.
“Yes,” Damián replied automatically.
Mathias didn’t respond right away. He closed the folder in front of him and leaned back slightly.
“You’ve
