Wednesday morning arrived gray and quiet.
Emma woke before her alarm — a habit she couldn't break, even now. She lay in bed for a while, watching the light shift through her curtains. The apartment smelled like coffee and the faint trace of Nick's sweater, which she had worn to bed again.
She didn't want to wash it.
She wanted to keep his smell close — cedar and something warm, something safe.
At 8:00 AM, she made breakfast. Eggs. Toast. Coffee that she didn't have to drink at her desk. She ate slowly, sitting at her small kitchen table, looking out the window.
This is my life now, she thought.
It was strange. It was quiet. It was hers.
---
At 10:00 AM, her phone buzzed.
Chloe: Lunch today? I need to see you. I'm losing my mind without you.
Emma smiled.
Emma: Where do you want t
