The late afternoon light filtered through the large windows of the café, casting long shadows across the table where Emily sat, waiting for James. She hadn’t spoken to him much since their last brief phone call—when he had brushed off her concerns about Alex. Today, she hoped things would be different. She needed him to listen, to really listen, because the weight of Alex’s control was becoming unbearable, and she couldn’t navigate this alone.
The door jingled softly as James walked in, looking as composed as ever in his dark jacket, his face impassive. He spotted Emily and made his way over, offering her a tight smile as he sat down across from her.
“Hey,” he said, his voice calm but distant, the same tone she had grown used to recently.
“Hey,” Emily replied, her own smile strained as
