Amara's Studio – 10:09 AM
The new studio space smelled like acrylic and sunlight. Amara stood by the window, sketchpad open, eyes on a blank canvas she hadn't touched since yesterday. Malik had passed by earlier but said nothing—just offered a coffee, nodded, and left her alone.
The room was quiet, but not still. Inside her chest, something moved.
She set the sketchpad down and picked up a charcoal stick.
This time, she didn't draw shapes or skies.
She drew shadows. Ones that bent and crawled in the corners of memory.
Eli's Apartment – 11:27 AM
Eli stood at the sink washing dishes with headphones in. But he wasn't listening to music—just white noise. Static, humming low, like it quieted the thoughts that had been shouting since last night.
The letter he wrote to Nari sat folded on the table. He hadn't given it to her. Not yet.
There was a knock.
He opened the door to find Rin, umbrella in hand, eyes tired but kind.
"You good?" she asked.
Eli shrugged. "I don't know how to tell someone I'm finally ready without sounding like I'm still scared."
Rin smiled. "Then start by not pretending you're unbreakable. That's where I messed up."
Nova's Car – 1:03 PM
Rain hit the windshield in soft rhythms. Nova sat in the passenger seat while Kade drove through back roads leading north.
She held a folder on her lap—photos, old lease documents, timestamps. All of it pointed to a location they weren't supposed to know about.
"Still think it's him?" Kade asked.
"I don't believe in coincidences," Nova muttered. "Especially not when it comes to men who vanish and reappear like shadows."
Kade turned on the wipers. "We'll keep our distance. Watch. Confirm."
"If he's there," Nova said, "I'm not watching. I'm ending it."
Malik's Studio – 3:22 PM
Amara sat on the floor now, legs stretched, paper scattered around her. Her drawings had grown darker—figures with hollow faces, rooms with no doors.
Malik entered with two mugs of tea. He paused, looking at the artwork.
"You okay?" he asked.
Amara didn't look up. "I'm remembering things I didn't ask to remember."
Malik set the mug beside her. "You don't have to explain it to me. But maybe you can explain it to the page."
She finally glanced at him. "That's what scares me. What if the page remembers too?"
Kael's Apartment – 6:50 PM
Kael stood by the window, watching the city blur into dusk. His phone buzzed.
Text from Rin:
I'm okay. Don't worry. Just figuring things out like you said.
He didn't reply right away.
Instead, he opened his notebook, flipped to the page where he'd started a letter to Amara he never meant to send.
You don't owe me your healing.
And I don't want to be the one holding the thread that keeps you from walking forward.
He closed the notebook and set it aside.
Sometimes letting go doesn't look like loss. It looks like love.