The thought offered a flicker of comfort before dissolving—the house had stayed silent far too long for that to make sense. He walked through the kitchen again, trying to convince himself she’d simply stepped out to clear her head. But her phone was still on the counter, her car still in the driveway, and dusk had already deepened into night.
Even for a prank, she wouldn’t vanish without a word. He flipped open her planner on the desk. Everything for Thursday looked perfectly normal—emails, two meetings, a reminder to call her mother. Tomorrow’s schedule was marked too: lunch already ordered at the office canteen, a meeting with her team. Nothing hinted at an interruption or sudden time off.