LEO’S POV
I left the office during lunch with my tie loosened and my phone face down on the passenger seat, as if that might keep me from checking it at every red light. The elevator doors had barely closed before I was moving too fast, keys biting into my palm, the choice already made before I let myself examine it.
The drive to campus took just under an hour. Familiar exits slid past, but the pressure in my chest stayed put, dull and steady. It felt less like nerves and more like bracing, as if my body had already leaned forward and was waiting for the rest of me to catch up.
I told myself I was only checking in. Ashley had moved. April had started school. It made sense to show up with snacks and the jacket she had left behind, to make sure they were settling in. I repeated that until
