ELYRA.
I woke up earlier than usual, the room still dim, the house quiet in that heavy way that made every small sound feel loud. For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, replaying what had almost happened. If he had turned around a second earlier… if I had made one wrong step…
I pushed the thought away. There was no point dwelling on it.
I got dressed quickly and moved around the house carefully, making sure my footsteps were soft. I actively avoided him. If I heard his voice somewhere down the hallway, I went the other direction.
Luckily, he didn’t seem to notice anything. Or maybe he did, and just didn’t show it.
Either way, I didn’t wait around to find out.
By the time I got to my office, the tension in my chest had eased just a little. The office space felt
