Brilliant but not messy.
Capable but not emotional.
I learned early how to be digestible.
How not to overwhelm.
How not to need too much.
Which meant when I finally did need something—anything—I didn’t know how to ask.
Maybe that was why I’d written to Alpha Mail instead.
My phone buzzed again.
Cassian’s name.
Just the name.
No message.
I stared at it.
The shift hit me.
He wasn’t watching my location anymore.
He was watching my emotional state.
He knew that message would destabilize me.
He wanted to see what I did with it.
I stood and padded toward the bathroom, phone still in my hand.
I dialed Harper.
She answered on the first ring.
“Lia.”
Her voice was tight.
“I’m here,” I said quietly.
There was a pause.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“Really?”
I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes.
“Yes,” I said again, more firmly. “I’m working. It’s remote. I needed space.”
