Walking into the office the next morning felt… different.
Not because anything had changed.
But because everything had.
The space was the same.
The routine was the same.
People moved around like any other day.
Normal.
Unaware.
And yet, nothing about this felt normal to me.
“Good morning,” Lila said as soon as I stepped in.
Her eyes lingered a second longer than usual.
Observant.
Too observant.
“Morning.”
She tilted her head slightly. “You look… distracted.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Mhm.”
That sound alone told me she didn’t believe me.
But thankfully, she didn’t push.
Not yet.
And I wasn’t ready for that conversation.
Not today.
Not when I hadn’t even sorted through it myself.
“I have a meeting in twenty minutes,” I said, setting my bag down.
“Can y
