“I saw,” I said softly, brushing a curl from her forehead. “Did you have fun?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Flying. Whoosh.” She lifted her arms dramatically, reenacting it with complete seriousness.
Behind her, Adrian hovered near the kitchen entrance. Dressed. Ready. Watching.
I didn’t look at him.
I kissed Haille’s other cheek, lingering just a second longer than necessary, grounding myself in the warmth of her skin. “Go wash your hands, okay? Breakfast’s almost ready.”
“Okayyy!” She ran off.
The silence stretched between us—not awkward, not hostile. Just empty.
Adrian cleared his throat once, then bent to help Haille at the sink. No words passed between us. No accidental brushes. No shared looks. We moved around each other like people who knew the shape of the space but avoided standing too close.
When it was time to leave, Adrian leaned down and kissed Haille’s forehead.
“Be good for Mommy, alright?” he said gently.
“I will,” she promised, serious as always.
He smiled faintly. “I’ll see you later, bug.”
I watched him grab his keys and head out, the door closing behind him without a glance back.
—?—
Jessicawas already leaning against my desk when I arrived at the office, sipping her coffee as I dropped my bag onto my chair.
She looked up once and frowned immediately. “Okay... no. What’s wrong with you?”
I met her gaze slowly. “Good morning to you too.”
“You look like someone unplugged you overnight,” she said, lowering her voice as she leaned against my desk. “Month-end close is done. You survived. Why do you look... empty?”
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling. “I think I just need a break.”
Jessica studied me for a long moment. “Like... a sleep break?” she asked carefully. “Or a life break?”
I didn’t answer.
She nodded once, like that was answer enough. “Alright. Lunch with me later. No excuses.”
I gave a small nod. “Okay.”
Jessica was just about to head back to her desk when footsteps echoed from the direction of Thomas’s office. The glass door opened, and Harley stepped out, rolling his sleeves a little higher, his expression neutral but far too focused for that early in the morning.
Jessica stopped in her tracks.
“Huh,” she said, squinting. “That’s rare. You just got in and you’re already meeting with Thomas? What’s going on?”
Harley glanced at his watch casually. “Nothing. Just a quick thing.”
Jessica let out a quiet scoff. “Your ‘quick things’ are never actually quick.”
He let out a short laugh but didn’t respond. His gaze drifted—brief, almost instinctive—toward my desk. It lasted no more than a second.
I stayed where I was, one hand resting on the desk as my other reached for the laptop, pressing the power button and waiting for the screen to come to life. I kept my eyes on the loading bar, on anything that would keep me from looking up.
