Lily's POV
The workday didn’t end so much as it suffocated. By the time five o’clock crept onto the corner of my screen, the office felt unusual quiet. Conversations dropped the moment I walked past. Laughter cut off mid-breath. Whispers followed me like a draft down a long hallway, brushing the back of my neck, disappearing the second I turned my head.
I became acutely aware of my body in motion, of how I stood, how I picked up my bag, how I tucked my hair behind my ear. Every small movement felt observed, interpreted, catalogued. Marcus might have been escorted out hours ago, but the ripple he left behind hadn’t faded. If anything, it had sharpened.
I tried to focus on my screen, on the mundane task I was given, but my hands were shaky on the keyboard. My thoughts kept looping back t
