I’d gotten what I wanted—James had resigned. Since Silas and I returned, we hadn’t run into each other at the company. I knew it was unrealistic for him to find a new job in just two days; even in the best-case scenario, it would probably take at least a month. Still, nearly two weeks had passed, and we hadn’t crossed paths even once.
Our abrupt return from the trip hadn’t raised many questions, thankfully. During the drive back, we’d hardly spoken. Every word I’d said to him that day had hurt him—I could see it in his silence, in the way his hands gripped the steering wheel. So I stayed quiet.
When he dropped me off at home, his words had been simple but clear: if anything happened, I should call him—no matter what.
And the worst part was, I believed him. Whatever I felt about Silas,
