Chapter 226

At 6:30 a.m., Emily Smith's internal clock woke her right on time.

A sliver of light peeked through the curtains. She reached for her phone on the nightstand—the screen showed twenty minutes left before her alarm.

Her new partner at Grasshopper Audiobook was accommodating, scheduling recording sessions before noon. BestTech had also adjusted her schedule, moving meetings from evenings to 3 p.m.

This way, she could always make it to the hospital by dusk to visit her sister.

Her fingers brushed over the calendar. William Johnson's promised foreign specialist was now thirty-seven days overdue. She closed her notebook softly, the metal clasp clicking shut.

The scent of frying eggs drifted from the kitchen. Daniel Chen stood by the stove in a checkered apron, flipping bacon as golden edges crisped around a sunny-side-up egg.

"I thought we agreed I'd sleep in?" Emily leaned against the doorframe, morning light dancing on her lashes.

Daniel didn't turn around. "The nutritionist said fasting over ten hours harms your stomach." His apron strings hung loose at his waist as he turned. "Want to try the new blueberry jam?"

At the supermarket, Emily compared expiration dates on two yogurt brands. Her phone buzzed—Daniel had sent a photo of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the overpass, a sea of red taillights.

The checkout line crawled. Grocery bags dug into her palms, leaving red marks. As she stepped through the automatic doors, the evening breeze lifted strands of hair at her temples.

Inside a Rolls-Royce, William loosened his tie. The cityscape blurred past the window until a familiar figure caught his eye.

A grocery bag split open. Oranges tumbled across the pavement. As Emily knelt to gather them, polished black dress shoes stopped beside a rolling navel orange.