"Buzz Buzz"
The ringing wouldn't stop.
Adam groaned, stretching out his hand, reaching blindly for his phone without much hope. His head pounded with each shrill ring, a reminder of last night's poor decisions. I knew I should have stopped at the second one.
"Ugh"
He finally found it resting in one corner of the floor
Swearing he picked up the phone and looked at it to see who would call a drowning man.
The screen was too bright. He squinted against it, trying to make sense of the letters swimming in front of his eyes.
MARK - INCOMING CALL
He almost didn't answer. Almost let it go to voicemail like he'd done with everyone else for the past three days. But Mark wasn't everyone else. Mark was... persistent. And if Adam ignored this call, there'd be another. And another.
He swiped to answer, his voice coming out rough and scratchy.
"Hey."
"Adam! Man, I've been trying to reach you since yesterday." Mark's voice was loud, concerned, cutting through the fog in Adam's brain. "You okay? I heard what happened with Nexus."
Of course he'd heard. Everyone had probably heard by now. News traveled fast in their circles, especially when it involved a company that had been getting investor attention. Adam could already imagine the conversations, speculation and gossip.
"Did you hear about Adam Hart? Got pushed out of his own company. By his best friend and girlfriend, no less."
Swearing inwardly again he replied
"Yeah, I'm..." Adam paused, searching for the right word. Fine? Not fine? He settled on, "I'm managing."
"Managing." Mark repeated the word like he didn't believe it. "Dude, that's corporate speak for 'I'm barely holding it together.' Look, I know we're not super close, but I wanted to check in. What they did to you... it's messed up."
Adam sat up slowly, rubbing his free hand over his face. The apartment was still dark, curtains drawn. Bottles still scattered across the floor. Evidence of last night's fiasco.
"It is what it is," Adam said. The words felt hollow, but true.
"It's bullshit is what it is." Mark's anger was clear, righteous. "I've been in business long enough to know when someone gets screwed. And you got screwed, man. Marcus and Lily, they..."
He kept talking. Adam heard the words, registered them on some level. Mark was trying to help. Trying to be supportive. It should have meant something. Should have stirred something in his chest. Gratitude, maybe. Or at least appreciation that someone gave a damn.
But there was just... distance.
Like he was listening to a conversation happening in another room. Relevant, but not quite real. Not quite connected to him.
Must be the hangover, he thought. Or still processing. Shock, maybe.
"...if you need anything. Seriously. A reference, an introduction to investors, hell, even just someone to grab a drink with and talk shit about those two. I'm here."
Mark paused, waiting for a response.
Adam cleared his throat. "Thanks, Mark. Really. I appreciate you reaching out."
"Of course, man. We went through college together. That counts for something." Another pause. "Actually, look. I know this might not be what you want to hear right now, but if you need a place to land while you figure things out, I could use someone with your skills at my company. Nothing permanent, just... something to keep you moving forward. Give you some runway."
The offer hung in the air between them.
A lifeline handed out to him. Extended without expectation from Mark of all people I mean they hadn't been the tightest of friends back in college. Mark's company wasn't huge, but it was stable. Profitable. A safe harbor.
Adam's first instinct was to refuse. To say he didn't need help, didn't need charity, didn't need anything from anyone.
But the words that came out were different.
"That's... really generous, Mark. Can I think about it?"
"Absolutely. Take your time. The offer stands whenever you're ready." Mark's tone shifted, became lighter. Almost cheerful. "And hey, when you're feeling up to it, let's grab lunch. My treat. You look like you could use a solid meal and some fresh air."
"Yeah. Maybe." Adam managed something close to a smile, even though Mark couldn't see it. "Thanks again. For checking in."
"Anytime, brother. Take care of yourself."
The call ended.
Adam lowered the phone, staring at the blank screen. That was... nice. Mark was being nice. A good person reaching out in a bad situation.
He should feel grateful.
Or relieved that not everyone in his life was a backstabbing piece of shit.
Or something.
But there was just that same strange distance. Like the conversation had happened to someone else, and he'd only been observing.
Definitely the alcohol, he told himself. Or exhaustion. Or both.
He was about to set the phone down when the screen lit up again. Not a call this time. A notification.
1 NEW MESSAGE - LILY
His thumb hovered over it for a moment. Then he opened it.
The message was short. Unfeeling, cold
Lily: Have you received the settlement? The lawyers confirmed the transfer went through yesterday. Everything is finalized now. We don't owe you anything else. Let's keep this clean and professional going forward.
Adam read it once. Then again.
Each word should have been a knife. Each sentence a fresh wound.
Have you received the settlement? - Like he was a contractor they'd paid off, not someone she'd shared a bed with for two years.
We don't owe you anything else. - Cold. Final. Dismissive.
Let's keep this clean and professional. - As if there was anything clean about what they'd done.
He waited for the anger. The rage. The crushing weight in his chest that had been his constant companion for three days.
But Nothing came.
He stared at the message, his face reflected faintly in the darkened screen above the words. Tried to feel something. Feel anything
Still Nothing.
The phone slipped from his hand, landing on the couch beside him with a soft thud.
Adam stood slowly, legs unsteady. Not from the hangover. From something else. Something wrong.
He walked to the bathroom, flipping on the light. The brightness was harsh, unforgiving. He gripped the edge of the sink and looked at his reflection.
Same face. Same dark circles under his eyes. Same stubble he hadn't bothered shaving.
But something was different.
He thought about Lily's message. Forced himself to picture her face. Remember her voice. The way she'd refused to look at him in that conference room. The casual cruelty of "it's business, Adam."
Nothing.
He thought about Marcus. His best friend. The person he'd trusted more than anyone. Who'd sat in his chair, in his company, and carved him out like he was nothing.
Nothing.
Two years of his life. His dreams. His future. All of it stolen, discarded, reduced to a bank transfer and a legal memo.
He should be devastated.
He should be furious.
He should be something.
But there was just... emptiness. A hollow space where all that pain had been yesterday. Like someone had reached into his chest and scooped it out, leaving nothing behind.
His rational mind screamed at him that this was wrong. That he should be panicking right now. That this numbness, this absence of feeling, was a problem.
But he couldn't panic.
Because panic required caring. Required investment. Required emotion.
And when he reached for those feelings, tried to access the rage or hurt or betrayal...
There was nothing there.
Adam gripped the sink harder, knuckles going white.
Last night came back to him in fragments. The bottles. The darkness. The desperate, aching wish that had consumed him as he'd closed his eyes.
Please. Just let me stop feeling this.
His reflection stared back at him, expressionless.
"What did I do?" he whispered.
The question hung in the empty bathroom, unanswered.