The first week of their fresh start was blissful. Almost too perfect.
They fell into a rhythm—coffee together in the mornings, work during the day, dinners where they actually talked, nights wrapped around each other. Alexander went to his first therapy appointment and came back quiet but relieved. Emma made progress on the Brooklyn project. Everything felt like it was finally clicking into place.
Then Monday of the second week arrived, and with it, reality.
Emma was at her firm, presenting updates on the housing project to her team, when her phone started buzzing incessantly. She ignored it through the meeting, but when she finally checked, her stomach dropped.
Seventeen missed calls. Twenty-three texts. All from numbers she didn't recognize.
She opened the first text and felt the room tilt.
