Two Days Later - Sunday Evening
Alex sat on the edge of his couch, forearms resting on his knees, staring at the coffee table in front of him.
The city lights filtered through the window behind him, casting long shadows across the hardwood floor.
It had been two days since he walked out of Lila's apartment. He'd collapsed into his bed and slept like the dead.
For the first time in long, he'd really slept.
Not the restless, half-conscious drifting punctuated by racing thoughts and tangled anxiety.
Not the kind of sleep where Linda's voice echoed through his dreams, her confession replaying on an endless loop.
The weight that had been crushing his chest had finally lifted. Just enough. Just barely enough to let him breathe.
Lila was handled. The plan had worked. Sophia's scheme had been exposed and countered.
One burden, gone.
And with it, the constant static in his mind had quieted.
