The first day back at work after the holidays felt like waking up from a beautiful dream only to find reality gray and uninspiring. Alistair walked into the building, his strides purposeful as always, yet his chest carried an unfamiliar heaviness. His usual excitement for a new year, filled with opportunities and challenges, had been replaced with a hollow ache. Something was missing, and no matter how much he tried to push the feeling aside, it clung to him like a shadow.
The hustle and bustle of the production set were in full swing, with crew members rushing to and fro, adjusting lights, setting up cameras, and finalizing scripts. Alistair nodded at a few familiar faces, offering a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His manager, approached him with her clipboard in hand, her
