CLAIRE

After we read the message together, Julian stood at the window for a long moment, his shoulders tense, his hands gripped tight on the windowsill.

I stayed close but didn't speak, letting him process whatever was running through his mind. Finally, he turned to face me.

"I need to work," he said, his voice controlled but strained. "I need to think through this clearly and I can't do that if I'm standing here spiraling."

"Okay," I said quietly.

"You should work too," Julian continued. "Design something, respond to emails, whatever keeps your mind occupied."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "We could talk about this more, figure out what to...