RAJ'S POV
I barely registered the words spilling from Alexa’s mouth—"Saira’s stuck in the elevator. There’s a blackout, and Sophia’s in there with her." That was all it took for panic to slice through me like a blade. I knew Saira’s fear of the dark, knew the way she fought to keep it hidden, the memories that resurfaced whenever she was trapped in enclosed, pitch-black spaces.
Dropping everything, I shot out of my office, not caring about the paperwork scattered across my desk. My mind raced with a thousand images of Saira alone in that dark, suffocating space, her fear clawing at her as she tried to hold herself together.
"Get them out of there. Now," I barked into the phone, trying to keep my voice steady even as frustration gnawed at me. The thought of her in there, helpless, brought up memories I’d tried to bury—the last time I’d seen her vulnerable, shattered. The last time I’d had the chance to be there for her, and failed.
When I reached the elevator, a handful of staff member
