The phone kept ringing in my hand.
Victor's name glowed on the screen, familiar and comforting. Yet I couldn't bring myself to answer.
The archive suddenly felt too small. The air seemed heavier, and the ledger on the table looked like an accusation I couldn't escape.
Everything I thought I understood had shifted beneath my feet.
I took a shaky breath, swiped to accept, and lifted the phone to my ear.
"Hey, you."
His voice was warm and steady, exactly as it always was.
But now, I heard something different beneath it. A secret. A question I hadn't known to ask.
"Everything okay?" he continued. "You sound quiet."
"Victor…" My voice came out softer than I intended. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth. No matter what it is."
He paused.
"Okay. Anything.
