The silence on the flight back to Seattle was absolute, save for the hum of the jet engines and the frantic, rhythmic thumping of my own heart. I stared out the oval window at the blanket of clouds below, trying to process the last forty-eight hours, but my brain felt like a corrupted file.
A digital note from Julian was waiting on my screen the moment I woke up in that hotel suite, his scent still clinging to the sheets like a ghost. “Site issues in Zurich require my immediate attention. You are to return to Seattle alone. Handle the final logistics from the home office. J.”
That was it. No mention of the night before. No "see you soon." Just business, crisp and detached.
I leaned my head back against the leather headrest and let out a shaky, jagged breath that morphed into a dry,
