The first rental cancellation arrived at 7:06 a.m.
I was halfway through black coffee and a highlighted chapter on fiduciary discretion when the email appeared.
Unit No Longer Available.
Thank you for your interest.
I deleted it.
The second followed at 7:11.
Application Withdrawn by Property Administrator.
The third at 7:19.
Listing Suspended Pending Executive Lease Review.
I set the mug down with deliberate care. My fingers hovered over the metadata. Different landlords. Different agencies. One common back-end: Reid Urban Holdings.
Of course.
My phone lit up.
You should have chosen Option One.
— Shawn
Heat flashed through me—anger first, then a darker, unwanted pulse low in my belly. I hated how quickly my body remembered him.
Another message arrived.
Breakfast. My office. B
