Edward
It was strange how quickly everything had shifted. One week ago, I could go for days buried in my work, thinking of nothing but numbers, contracts, and board approvals. Yet now, I found my attention slipping far too often, my thoughts circling back to Elena like a tether I couldn’t cut.
I told myself it was nothing, just a passing distraction, the kind of fleeting curiosity that comes and goes. But then why had it become impossible for me to sit through a meeting without glancing at the empty seat where she used to sit beside me, taking notes quietly, her presence steady but never intrusive? Why did her absence feel so loud?
Clara, ever efficient, had taken over her role again, and though it made sense on paper, it grated on me in ways I couldn’t explain. Clara was precise, atten
