When I’d told the police officer that, he’d given me a strange look, like he couldn’t quite decide if he believed me. Maybe he thought I shouldn't have left him after everything. Maybe he wasright. I keep wondering if it would’ve been different if I’d been home.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
Warren:Where are you? I want to make sure you’re okay.
I stare at the message for a long moment, before locking the screen again.
I can’t deal with Warren right now. Not with all the questions I can’t answer.
Not with the image of my brother’s lifeless body still playing on repeat behind my eyes.
The days blur together, endless cups of tea gone cold, sleepless nights, and a house that feels too quiet without Isaac’s noise filling it.
Mum’s struggling. She tries to stay strong, but the cracks show. We can’t bury him yet; the police still haven’t released his body, and it could be weeks. Maybe months. Every time the phone rings, I hope it’s them. It never is.
When I walk into the kitchen, she’s sitting at the dining table, still in her dressing gown, staring at nothing. Her eyes flick up as I enter, scanning me like she’s trying to read my thoughts. She takes in my outfit. “You’re going back to work?” she asks softly.
I nod, grabbing a mug and pouring myself a coffee. “I need something to take my mind off all this,” I mutter. “If I sit here any longer, I’ll go insane.”
She nods slowly, eyes dropping to her hands. “Makes sense.”
“If you need me for anything, just call. I’ll come straight home, okay?”
I glance toward the counter and spot the little brown pill bottle the doctor prescribed, something to take the edge off, to help her sleep. “Have you taken your pill?”
She shakes her head. I pick up the bottle and shake one into my palm. It’s so small. Hard to believe something that tiny can quieten the noise in her head. I hand it to her, and she swallows it without even reaching for water.
Her face looks drawn, her skin pale against the dark circles beneath her eyes. My chest tightens. She’s always been the strong one, the one who held us all together, and now she’s the one unravelling.
I force a smile, hoping it’ll anchor her somehow. “Go back to bed, Mum. Try to rest. I’ll call you at lunch, yeah?”
She nods again, eyes glassy as she pushes to her feet and disappears down the hallway.
When she’s gone, I sit for a moment at the table, coffee cooling in my hands, and stare at the spot she left.
The silence presses down on me until I can’t stand it anymore. I grab my bag and keys and head out.
Work might not fix anything. But at least it’ll stop me thinking for a few hours.
I head straight for my desk, the soft hum of the office sounding distant and hollow after days away. Sliding my bag into the drawer feels strange, mechanical. Like I’m watching myself from a few feet away.
The elevator dings behind me.
When the doors open, Warren steps out, mid-conversation with someone. He stops dead when he sees me.
“You’re back,” he says, surprise flickering across his face.
“Yep.” My voice comes out flat.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
Before I can respond, Nancy appears behind him. She looks polished, perfect, like poison in red lipstick. Her smirk lands on me like a slap.
“I’ll go over the diary and update you once I’m caught up,” I say, keeping my tone professional and my eyes down.
Warren stops at my desk. I can feel his stare burning into the top of my head, hot and heavy, like he’s searching for the right thing to say.
“Two coffees, please,Liz,” Nancy calls sweetly, already walking toward his office.
