She had made plans to be there. Needing reassurance, he called her office. The receptionist answered warmly and said Lara hadn’t mentioned any leave requests. In fact, she’d confirmed her attendance for tomorrow and pre-booked her lunch for the week. The woman sounded puzzled when he asked whether Lara had seemed off earlier. “Not at all,” she said firmly.
The normalcy unsettled him even more. If Lara had been planning to come in tomorrow, then why run into the night without her phone or car? He tried again to imagine her surprising him, appearing at the door with an exasperated laugh. But every explanation felt flimsy against the cold quiet of the house. The longer he stood there, the more his thoughts spiraled.