Jake

Jake’s POV

He tried to keep busy.

Meetings, late-night calls, the endless rotation of men who called him sir but couldn’t meet his eyes.

Work had always been his anchor — predictable, controllable. But since she left, even the numbers on his desk looked blurred, like his mind couldn’t focus on anything that didn’t sound like her voice.

He missed her.

More than he’d ever admit.

He’d told himself it was natural. He was responsible for her — her tuition, her safety, her future. Everything she had, everything she was becoming, was because of him. That was enough reason to worry, to check in, to know where she was.

At least, that’s what he told himself the first few days.

But by the fifth, the worry had teeth.

He found himself glancing at his phone between every meeting, half expecting a message that never came. When it did, it was short — polite — too clean to be hers.

No rambling jokes, no teasing. Just: I’m fine. Thank you.

Thank you.

The words hit him like a stranger’s voice. He read