Adrian and I linger at the café longer than I expect. After I tell him about the accident at work, the heaviness hanging between us slowly dissolves when he shifts the conversation to safer ground.It’s comforting. Maybe a bit too comforting. The tight coil in my shoulders loosens, and I catch mysel
After a while, he studies me. Not in a way that makes me uncomfortable, but like he’s noticing something others might overlook. “You look… different,” he says gently. “A little shaken and a bit out of sorts.”I blink, a bit startled. My fingers tighten around the mug, but I don’t deny it. Somehow, a
I’m still rattled, even minutes after the accident. I sit slumped in one of the reception chairs, heart racing, hands trembling, my mind heavy with the weight of what almost happened.“Hey, you’re okay,” Carl says gently. “You’re safe.”The words should be comforting, but the fear clings to me like
I shake my head, redirecting my eyes to the chart. Work. Focus. This is what I came here for.But then, a sound cuts through the stillness. A groan of strained metal, faint but wrong. My skin prickles.I glance up. One of the overhead rigs, the kind used to support heavy monitoring equipment, is swa
The smell of fresh coffee greets me the moment I step into the building. For once, it’s comforting instead of bitter. I swipe my badge, hear the familiar click of the security gate, and tell myself today will just be normal and ordinary.The receptionist lifts her head from her computer and smiles.
Her words send a chill down my spine. If Aunt Ava is already connecting the dots, then it's only a matter of time before the truth is out... I have to do something.I push the spoon through the panna cotta, swirling the berries around. My chest feels heavy. “And then there is Noah. He sat across fro