“Fine. She’s been asking about you.”
“I missed her too.” Sarah set down her bag and pulled out her therapy materials—the same routine she’d followed for months. “Should we start in the usual room?”
I nodded and watched her disappear down the hallway, her footsteps quick and purposeful. Nothing about her movements suggested anything was wrong. She was performing normalcy like someone who’d rehearsed it.
The session with Lily went smoothly on the surface. Sarah went through exercises, praised Lily’s progress, and kept everything moving forward. But I watched from my office monitor and saw all that was wrong.
Sarah didn’t tease anymore.
Before, she would have waved at the camera when she caught me watching. Now she just ignored it, kept her focus on Lily with an intensity that felt desperate rather than professional.
She didn’t laugh at Lily’s drawings the way she used to either. When Lily showed her a new sketch, Sarah smiled and said “that’s beautiful, sweetheart” in a voice that sounded rehearsed, not real.
I turned off the monitor and leaned back in my chair. Something was wrong with Sarah—something deeper than illness or exhaustion or too many jobs. This was different. Deeper.
And I wanted to help her.
I found Gianna in the kitchen later that afternoon, scrolling through her phone while she waited for coffee to brew. She looked up when I entered and immediately went still in that way my presence did to most people.
“Sir?”
“Do you know what’s wrong with Sarah?”
Gianna blinked. “With Ms. Tinsley?”
“Yes.”
“I… what?”
“Is she having problems? Has she mentioned anything to you?”
Gianna’s expression went through several changes in rapid succession—confusion, surprise, and then something that looked suspiciously like amusement. “Are you… asking me about someone’s feelings?”
“I’m asking if you know why she’s been acting strange.”
“Strange how?”
“Different. Quieter. She seems…” I searched for the right word. “Absent.”
“And you noticed this?”
“Obviously.”
“No, I mean—” Gianna’s lips were twitching now, like she was trying very hard not to smile. “You noticed someone’s emotional state?”
I did not appreciate her smug tone and my slight scowl told her that. “Do you know what’s wrong with her or not?”
“I don’t, actually.” The amusement faded from Gianna’s face. “She’s been weird with me too. Very polite but distant. Like she’s trying to keep everyone at arm’s length.”
“Has she said anything?”
“Nothing specific. Just that she’s been stressed about her certification exam coming up.”
That made sense. Sarah had mentioned before that she needed to pass her exam to get her official license. “When is it?”
“Next month, I think? She said something about needing to save up for the fee and study materials.” Gianna paused. “She’s been working extra shifts at another job.”
“Thank you,” I said, already planning.
