Today felt… different. There was a weight in the air that wasn’t there yesterday, a subtle electricity that made my skin prickle as I moved. I tied my hair into a messy bun, letting strands escape carelessly, as if my appearance could somehow shield me from the storm I could feel approaching. I slipped into a white sweater, a comfortable pair of jeans, and glanced around, wishing I had a mask and a car so I could escape into the city streets for fresh air, perhaps a cup of espresso and the comforting anonymity of strangers. But that luxury wasn’t mine. I had left the mask at Hacker’s flat, and the car wasn’t here, leaving me with only the confines of this house, its quiet walls, and the thoughts buzzing relentlessly in my head.
Everything seemed perfect—morning sun spilling through the cu
