Chapter 3 – The Point of No Return

The almost-kiss changed everything.

Even though it never actually happened, it hung between us like smoke. Every meeting after that carried an extra weight. A awareness that we were standing on the edge of something we couldn’t take back.

Sophia was barely present anymore. Her work had intensified, and she kept saying, “You and Lena have it handled. I trust you.” The words should have bothered me more than they did. Instead, they gave me permission I didn’t want to examine too closely.

It was a Thursday evening. The office was quiet. Lena and I had finished the final approval on the...