Ethan noticed Mira's absence almost immediately. She had not checked in since morning, and her desk was empty. He tapped his pen against the table, irritation rising.
He called her department. "Where's Mira?"
A colleague answered, "She left earlier. Said she had some errands to run ."
Ethan frowned. Errands during work hours? That was unusual. He dismissed the call but the thought lingered. He opened his calendar, scanning her tasks. Several were incomplete.
Later, he walked through the office, his eyes scanning faces. "Has anyone seen Mira?" he asked near the printer. They shook their heads.
He returned to his office, unsettled. Mira had always been compliant, always available. Her sudden distance gnawed at him. He leaned back, recalling the way she had pulled away from him the previous day. That sharp retreat replayed in his mind.
Still, he convinced himself it was nothing. "She's moody," he muttered. "She'll come around."
