Chapter 2 The Night Everything Shifted

Monday arrived without mercy.

I woke before my alarm, staring at the ceiling as gray light filtered through the curtains. For a moment, I considered calling in sick. Claiming a migraine. Food poisoning. Anything that would buy me one more day away from the office.

But avoidance had never been my strength.

I moved through my routine mechanically-shower, clothes, coffee I barely tasted. Lena was still asleep when I left, curled beneath her blanket, breathing evenly. I watched her for a second longer than necessary, wishing I could stay in that quiet space where nothing had expectations of me.

Outside, the city was already awake. Traffic hummed. People hurried past with purpose. I blended into them easily, another woman in a coat, another face in motion.

At the office, the receptionist barely let me take two steps inside before calling my name.

"Julian wants to see you."

My stomach tightened.

I nodded, murmured a thank you, and headed straight for his office. I knocked once.

"Come in, Mira."

He was seated behind his desk, reviewing something on his tablet. His tie was slightly loosened. His sleeves rolled up. He looked... normal. Too normal.

"Good morning, sir," I said.

"Morning." He glanced at his watch. "Let's go over today's schedule."

I did. Calmly. Professionally. I listed meetings, deadlines, revisions. He listened without interruption, correcting nothing, asking no follow-up questions.

When I finished, he looked up.

"You look nice today."

It wasn't flirtatious. Not overtly. Just a casual observation, delivered without weight-or maybe with too much of it.

"Thank you," I replied evenly.

I left his office without another word.

The rest of the day passed in an eerie calm. No tension. No strange looks. No mention of Friday. By mid-afternoon, I almost convinced myself that nothing had changed. That whatever awkwardness I'd imagined was just that-imagined.

By early evening, I was packing up my desk when Julian stopped by.

"Remind me," he said, "what's on my schedule tonight?"

I hesitated. "You have a reservation at Archer's. Eight o'clock."

He nodded slowly. "Right."

Then, after a pause, "I don't want to go alone."

I looked up at him.

"It's work-related," he added quickly. "Overtime."

Every instinct I had told me to say no.

Instead, I nodded.

Archer's was quieter than I expected. Dim lighting. Soft music. Mostly empty tables. He ordered whiskey. I chose wine, telling myself I'd nurse it.

We talked. About work. About nothing. About everything except the tension humming just beneath the surface. It felt almost normal. Too normal.

By my second glass, warmth spread through my limbs. By his third, his voice softened, edges smoothing.

"I should go," I said, glancing at my phone.

"Stay a little longer."

I stood.

The room tilted.

My legs refused to cooperate, weakness rushing through them too fast to make sense of. I grabbed the back of the chair, laughing weakly. "I think... I need water."

He was already beside me, steadying my arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I said too quickly. Too softly.

Then the lights blurred.

And everything went dark.

I woke to unfamiliar sheets.

For a moment, I didn't move. Didn't breathe properly. The room felt suspended in time, quiet in a way that made my skin prickle. Slowly, awareness returned-too fast, too sharp.

I turned my head.

Julian lay beside me.

Reality crashed in all at once, knocking the air from my lungs. My heart slammed violently against my ribs, panic blooming before my mind could catch up.

I didn't wait for him to wake.

I gathered my clothes with shaking hands, every movement careful, mechanical. My fingers fumbled with buttons. Zippers. Shoes. I was terrified that if I slowed down, if I let myself think too deeply, I would fall apart completely.

I left without looking back.

No explanations.

No clarity.

Only the certainty that something had happened-something I hadn't agreed to. Something I could never undo.

I got home just after eight.

The ride was silent. Too silent. Streets passed without meaning. My thoughts were fractured, looping, incomplete.

Inside the apartment, I locked the door and slid down against it, sitting on the floor.

My body felt wrong. Heavy. Detached.

What happened?

I checked my phone.

No messages. No missed calls. Nothing from Julian. Nothing from Lena.

My chest tightened painfully.

In my bedroom, I stared at my reflection. I barely recognized the woman looking back. My skin felt foreign, like it no longer belonged to me.

I showered longer than necessary, scrubbing until my skin burned. It didn't help. I still felt unclean. Still felt like something had been taken without permission.

I crawled into bed and cried until exhaustion pulled me under.

When I woke late the next morning, my head throbbed. My throat felt raw. The memories were still broken blurred edges, missing pieces but one truth remained unmistakably clear.

Something had happened.

Something I hadn't consented to.

I called Lena.

No answer.

I texted her.

Are you free? Please call me when you see this.

Nothing.

I considered calling my sister. My finger hovered over her name before I locked my phone. I wasn't ready to explain something I barely understood myself.

By afternoon, an email came in.

Take the week off. Work remotely if you feel up to it.

No mention of the night.

No acknowledgment.

No explanation.

My stomach twisted.

So this was how it would be handled. Silence. Distance. Pretending.

Fine.

The next morning, I forced myself outside. I needed air. Movement. Proof that the world hadn't stopped just because mine felt shattered.

When I returned, my phone buzzed.

Lena.

I just saw your messages. I was asleep all day. Are you okay?

My fingers hovered.

Typed.

Deleted.

Typed again.

Can you come home? I really need you.

Her reply came immediately.

On my way.

I sank onto the couch, pulling my knees to my chest.

For the first time since that night, I let myself breathe.

Whatever this was whatever had been done to me I wouldn't carry it alone.