HALLWAY

Lena wiped at her swollen eyes, her face pale and streaked with tears. She hugged herself, her body trembling. Kael, on the other hand, looked like a shadow of himself, hollow, detached, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the ground.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Kael ignored it at first, the vibration barely registering in his fogged mind. But it persisted, relentless. With a tired sigh, he fished the phone out, glancing at the screen. It was his secretary.

He almost declined the call, but something in his gut told him not to.

“This is Kael,” he answered, voice rough and broken.

“Sir,” his secretary’s voice trembled...