The morning felt wrong before Lillian even opened her eyes.
For a moment, she didn't understand why.
Then reality settled quietly back into place.
Not the Wolfe mansion.
Not Sebastian beside her.
Not the familiar warmth of his presence somewhere nearby.
Just Chloe's apartment.
Still.
Quiet.
Unfamiliar.
Lillian stared at the ceiling for a long moment before slowly sitting up on the bed Chloe had prepared for her the night before in the guest room.
Her suitcase still sat near the wall untouched.
Like some part of her still hadn't accepted she was actually staying here.
The apartment smelled faintly of coffee.
Lillian closed her eyes briefly.
Because for one stupid second, her mind instinctively thought of Sebastian.
Of mornings in the mansion.
Of him silently placing coffee beside her while checking emails.
Of his quiet presence filling space without needing conversation.
The memory hurt more than she expected.
Lillian pushed the blanket aside and stood slowly.
The apartment floor was colder than the mansion's.
Everything felt smaller here.
More human.
More real.
And somehow that made everything ache worse.
She quietly walked toward the bathroom to get ready for work.
The reflection staring back at her looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Her eyes lingered on herself for a second too long.
Then shifted downward.
The necklace.
Sebastian's necklace still rested against her collarbone.
Lillian's fingers lifted instinctively to touch it.
A soft exhale escaped her.
She should probably take it off.
That would make sense.
Wouldn't it?
But when her fingers reached the clasp—
she stopped.
Her hand slowly lowered again.
Because despite everything…
she couldn't do it.
Not yet.
A quiet knock sounded against the bathroom door.
"You alive in there?" Chloe asked lightly.
Lillian managed a faint smile despite herself.
"Barely."
"That's encouraging."
Lillian opened the door a moment later.
Chloe stood there holding two mugs of coffee.
She immediately studied Lillian's face carefully.
"You slept?"
"A little."
"That's not an answer."
Lillian accepted the coffee quietly.
"It's the closest answer you're getting."
Chloe softened slightly.
They moved toward the kitchen together.
The apartment was calm this morning.
Muted.
Like Chloe was deliberately keeping things gentle for her.
Lillian appreciated it more than she could explain.
She sat at the counter quietly while Chloe leaned against the opposite side.
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Chloe finally asked softly:
"How are you feeling?"
Lillian stared down at the coffee.
"I don't know."
That was the truth.
Everything inside her felt tangled together right now.
Relief.
Pain.
Love.
Guilt.
Exhaustion.
Missing him already.
Which somehow hurt the most.
Chloe watched her carefully.
"You don't have to figure everything out immediately."
Lillian laughed quietly under her breath.
"It doesn't feel like that."
"No?"
"No."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the mug.
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to say when I see him."
Chloe's expression softened immediately.
Because there it was.
The real fear underneath everything else.
Not anger.
Not resentment.
Seeing him.
Facing what they became overnight.
"You don't have to force a conversation," Chloe said gently.
Lillian looked away slightly.
"What if he acts normal?"
"He won't."
The answer came too quickly.
Too certainly.
Lillian blinked slightly.
Chloe sighed softly.
"Lillian… that man practically stopped functioning if you were upset with him for five minutes."
That almost made her smile.
Almost.
"But this is different," Lillian whispered.
Chloe didn't deny it.
Because it was.
After a long silence, Chloe finally stepped closer and squeezed her shoulder gently.
"You just have to survive today first."
That sounded manageable.
Barely.
But manageable.
An hour later, they arrived at Sovereign.
The building looked exactly the same as always.
Tall.
Imposing.
Untouchable.
But the second they stepped onto the executive floor—
something felt off.
Lillian noticed it immediately.
People were talking.
Not casually.
Uneasily.
Conversations hushed the moment elevators opened.
Assistants looked distracted.
Executives kept checking phones.
One of the analysts near the center desks frowned quietly.
"Has anyone heard from Mr. Wolfe?"
Another shook their head.
"He's never this late."
"He had meetings scheduled at seven."
"It's almost nine."
Lillian slowed slightly.
Chloe noticed immediately.
Because they both knew something nobody else here did.
Sebastian never missed mornings at Sovereign.
Never.
He was always first in the building.
Always.
Even sick.
Even exhausted.
Even after sleepless nights.
Which meant his absence now felt wrong enough that the entire floor noticed it.
Lillian walked slowly toward her desk outside Sebastian's office.
Then stopped.
The lights inside were still off.
The office sat dark behind the glass walls.
Empty.
Cold.
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
Because Sebastian's presence usually dominated this floor completely.
Even when he wasn't speaking.
Even when his office door stayed closed.
You always felt him there.
Now—
nothing.
Lillian lowered herself slowly into her chair.
Trying not to stare too long at the dark office.
Trying not to think about him alone in the mansion.
Trying not to wonder whether he slept at all.
Chloe sat at her own desk nearby, watching her carefully without making it obvious.
The morning dragged painfully.
Lillian tried working.
Tried focusing.
But every few minutes, her eyes drifted toward Sebastian's office again.
Still dark.
Still empty.
At eleven-thirty, one of the executives finally approached quietly.
"Miss Parker?"
Lillian looked up immediately.
"Do you know when Mr. Wolfe will arrive?"
There it was again.
That subtle unease everyone carried today.
Because Sebastian Wolfe not appearing wasn't normal.
It destabilized things.
Lillian forced herself to stay composed.
"He's working remotely today."
The executive looked surprised.
"Remotely?"
"Yes."
A small nod.
Then he walked away.
Still visibly confused.
Because Sebastian hated remote work.
Another thing everyone knew.
Chloe quietly looked toward Lillian once he left.
"You okay?"
"No," Lillian answered honestly.
Chloe's expression softened slightly.
Before she could answer—
a notification sound echoed across the executive floor.
Then another.
And another.
Everyone had received the same email simultaneously.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
People opened it at once.
Lillian's stomach tightened before she even clicked on hers.
Because somehow—
she already knew it was from him.
She opened the message slowly.
And immediately froze.
Effective immediately, I will be conducting all operations remotely until further notice.
All meetings will proceed as scheduled digitally.
Continue reporting directly through standard executive channels.
— Sebastian Wolfe
Silence settled across the executive floor.
Not complete silence.
But quieter.
Uncertain.
Lillian stared at the email.
Something about it felt wrong instantly.
Not the content.
The writing.
Too short.
Too abrupt.
No structure.
No precision.
No controlled professionalism.
Just detached efficiency barely holding itself together.
Chloe slowly looked over at her.
"…He wrote that himself?"
Lillian swallowed quietly.
"Yes."
Because she knew his writing.
Better than almost anyone.
And this wasn't Sebastian controlled and composed.
This was Sebastian trying desperately to sound controlled and composed.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She reread the email again.
And again.
Each time noticing more things wrong with it.
No formal closing.
No scheduling details.
No clarification.
Nothing polished.
Like writing it had taken effort.
Like he could barely focus long enough to send it.
And suddenly—
the truth hit her harder than anything else had all morning.
This wasn't distance.
Sebastian wasn't simply avoiding the office.
He couldn't come here.
Because he was falling apart too.
Lillian slowly looked up toward the dark office beyond the glass walls.
Still empty.
Still waiting.
And for the first time since leaving the mansion—
guilt began mixing painfully with heartbreak inside her chest.