The door closed behind her.
Soft.
Final.
Elena didn't stop.
She walked.
Down the hallway.
Into the elevator.
Didn't look back.
She couldn't.
Because if she did—
She wouldn't leave.
The elevator doors closed.
And just like that—
He was gone.
Her chest tightened.
The space felt empty already.
Too empty.
She exhaled slowly.
"This is what you wanted," she whispered.
Lie.
The ride down felt longer than usual.
Too quiet.
Too still.
When the doors opened—
She stepped out.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't think.
She walked out of the building.
Into the city.
Into the noise.
But none of it reached her.
Because everything felt distant.
Muted.
Like something was missing.
Her phone stayed silent.
No message.
No call.
That hurt more than anything.
She walked.
No destination.
Just movement.
Trying to feel normal again.
But nothing felt normal.
Because now—
She noticed it.
The absence.
Of him.
She stopped.
In the middle of the street.
Her chest tightened.
"This is better," she said quietly.
Lie.
She forced herself to move again.
Because standing still made it worse.
Across the city—
Adrian didn't move.
He was still standing in the same place.
Where she left him.
The room felt different.
Empty.
Cold.
Too quiet.
He exhaled slowly.
Then walked.
Not toward the door.
Not after her.
Away.
Back to control.
Back to distance.
He picked up his phone.
Looked at it.
Nothing.
No message.
That was expected.
That was the point.
He placed the phone down.
Harder than necessary.
Then stopped.
Something felt wrong.
Different.
He looked around.
Same room.
Same space.
Same control.
But something was missing.
He exhaled slowly.
"This is better."
Silence.
He didn't believe it.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Hours.
And the silence didn't get easier.
He tried to work.
Opened files.
Closed them.
Tried again.
Nothing.
Focus gone.
That had never happened before.
His jaw tightened.
"This is why," he muttered.
But even that didn't fix it.
He walked to the window.
Looked out at the city.
Same lights.
Same movement.
But it felt different.
Because she wasn't there.
And for the first time—
He noticed it.
The absence.
Of her.
His phone buzzed.
He looked at it instantly.
Unknown number.
His expression darkened.
He answered.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then—
"They found her."
Silence.
Everything changed.
His grip tightened.
"Where?"