Emily
I couldn’t bring myself to call Adrian.
Or text him.
Or even listen to the voice notes he kept leaving.
Every time my phone buzzed with his name lighting up the screen, my chest tightened so painfully it felt like something inside me might crack. The first few times, I stared at the screen until it stopped ringing. After that, I started flipping the phone over the moment it vibrated, like I could pretend it wasn’t happening.
Cowardly.
But I needed time.
Time to think.
Time to convince myself I was doing the right thing.
So I buried myself in work.
If I stayed busy enough, tired enough, maybe I wouldn’t think about the warmth of his hands, the quiet way he said my name, the messages that probably sounded softer than anything I was ready to hear.
I started staying late at th
