The clinic was unnervingly quiet. Outside, drizzle tapped against the tall windows, streaking the glass with thin silver lines. In the hallway, the occasional shuffle of shoes echoed, only to fade again, leaving the silence intact. Elena sat at her desk, a stack of patient files spread before her. The ink on her notes blurred as her eyes skimmed the same sentence for the fourth time. She took a sip of her coffee, now cold, and grimaced.
Her body was present, but her mind refused to anchor. The rules. The shower. His voice in her ear. Every detail replayed itself with merciless clarity, looping until she could hardly distinguish memory from imagination.
A knock startled her. She straightened, quickly smoothing her skirt and gathering the scattered files into a neat pile.
“Come in,” she c
