The week had never felt so long. The days blurred together, each following the same suffocating rhythm: wake up, look flawless, work, survive, go home, collapse—in silence, unseen. The tension at work, the constant vigilance, Dareth's unrelenting presence, the shadows of the past—all of it weighed on Elara's shoulders like ever-tightening chains.
But the weekend finally came.
It was Saturday morning, and for once, she didn't have to wake up early or walk into the glass walls of the modern office with perfect hair, immaculate makeup, and elegant clothes. Sliding out of bed, she pulled on warm socks and lay for a long time simply staring at the ceiling, at the morning light flickering on the glass frames of the pictures on the wall.
The world moved more slowly now. And that was good.
Ela
