CHAPTER II – WHAT WAS LEFT BEHIND
CHAPTER II – WHAT WAS LEFT BEHIND
The house behind Patricia was small, worn by time, but alive in a way Michael’s glass tower never was. There were plants near the window. A child’s drawing taped to the wall. A quiet that did not feel empty.
Michael noticed it all.
“I didn’t know where you went,” he said.
Patricia let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t look.”
That truth landed harder than anything else.
Michael took a slow breath. “I made mistakes. I know that. But the company… people are going to lose their jobs. Everything I built is collapsing.”
Patricia crossed her arms.
“And you think I should care?”
He hesitated.
“I think… you’re the only person who understands how it works. The only one who ever did.”
Silence stretched between them.
May you like
Then Patricia turned slightly, looking out toward the yard instead of at him.
“I understand how it works,” she said softly. “That’s exactly why I left it.”
