Systemic Fatigue

Myra's P.O.V

His eyes widened slightly, blinking back surprise. "Are you serious?"

"You're my brother," I said, a small, weary smile breaking through my guard. "It's my job to look after you."

Landon looked down at his hands, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark all these years, Myra. Truly."

"There's no point apologizing now, Landon," I replied, the warmth fading from my voice as the old resentment flared. "The deed is done."

Dinner was like a quiet, stiff affair. We cobbled together a quick meal, eating in a suffocating silence that made every scrape of the fork against the plate echo.

I had no energy left to talk, no words to bridge the years between us. When I finished, he was still picking at his plate. I left him at the table, walking over to the linen closet to pull out a heavy duvet and a pair of pillows.

"If you need anything during the night, just wake me up," I said, dropping the bundle onto the couch.

Landon paused his fork, looking up at me with a slow, grateful nod.

"Thanks."

I retreated to my bedroom, closing the door until the latch clicked into place.

The moment the lock turned, the strength drained from my legs. I pressed my back against the solid wood, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor, staring blankly into the dark room.

It took me a long time to change out of my clothes and wash my face, avoiding my reflection in the mirror entirely.

When I finally climbed into bed, sleep felt like a luxury I couldn't afford. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Landon’s weathered face, or imagined the nameless man threatening our father.

The mattress felt like concrete. I tossed and turned for hours, watching the shadows shift across the ceiling until the sky outside began to turn a pale, dusty grey. It was well into the morning before exhaustion finally dragged me under.

******

The blare of my alarm felt like a physical blow to my temples.

I forced myself out of bed, every muscle aching with a deep, systemic fatigue.

My usual morning energy was entirely absent, replaced by a heavy, leaden sluggishness that made even brushing my teeth feel like an Olympic sport.

I spent twice as long on my makeup, carefully packing on concealer and foundation to ensure the exhaustion tearing at my mind didn't show on my skin.

When I looked in the mirror, the mask was perfect, flawless, polished, and professional. But behind my eyes, a dull headache throbbed.

When I stepped into the living room, Landon was still asleep, buried beneath the duvet with his arm thrown over his eyes.

I moved like a ghost, writing a quick note on a scrap of paper and pinning it to the fridge with a magnet. I pulled a few hundred dollars in cash from my purse, dropped it onto the entryway table, and slipped out the door.

Even with the exhaustion weighing down my boots, I made sure to stop by the café across the street to grab Jade’s coffee. Holding the hot cardboard cup gave me something to focus on, a familiar routine to anchor my morning.

Because of the lack of sleep, I had rushed through my commute, arriving at the office twenty minutes earlier than usual.

Claire looked up from her computer as I walked by. She waved cheerfully, her bright pink lipstick contrasting with the sterile grey of the lobby.

"Morning, Myra! You're early today. Wow, look at you, so put together."

I forced my lips into a pleasant curve, though the movement made my head ache.

"Good morning, Claire. Just trying to get a head start on the day."

Claire leaned forward, her eyes scanning my face before dropping to the two coffee cups in my hands.

"You look a little pale today. Everything okay?"

"Just a long night," I said, keeping my voice light and steady despite the fog in my brain. "Nothing a little caffeine won't fix."

"I hear that," she laughed, tapping her own giant thermos. "Have a good one up there!"

"You too," I murmured, turning toward the elevator bank. Every step felt heavier than the last, my feet dragging slightly against the tile. I just needed to get to my desk, sit down, and let the routine of paperwork numb the chaos from last night.

But as I reached the elevator bay, the doors of the center lift slid open, and my breath caught in my throat.

Jade was standing inside.

The exhaustion vanished, replaced by a sudden, icy jolt of adrenaline. He was dressed in a pristine charcoal suit, looking completely untouched by the rest of the world.

Standing just a half-step behind him was his personal assistant, holding a leather briefcase.

"Good morning, Mr. Dantrix," I said, forcing the words out with a tight, polite smile, keeping my hands steady around the coffee cups.

I shifted my gaze slightly, acknowledging the other man.

"Good morning, Mr. Brandon."

"Morning, Myra," Brandon replied, offering a warm, brief nod of recognition.

Jade didn't say a word. He didn't even blink. His sharp eyes remained fixed straight ahead, his jaw set in a hard, unreadable line.

The silence inside the elevator was suffocating.

I stepped into the elevator, intentionally retreating to the far corner to put as much distance between us as possible. I kept my eyes glued to the digital floor tracker above the door, doing everything in my power to avoid looking at him.

Surprisingly, he didn't even glance my way. Not once. Usually, his gaze was intense, a heavy presence that demanded attention, but today he treated me like a fixture of the elevator walls.

Was he upset about what happened yesterday?

The elevator chimed, the doors sliding open to the executive floor. Jade stepped out first, his long strides carrying him quickly down the hallway.

Brandon followed immediately at his heel. I fell into step a few paces behind them, following them straight toward his office.