The studio lights were too bright. I blinked against them and adjusted my headphones. My voice came out smooth. Professional. Warm.
"You're listening to Heart to Heart with Milena Kelly. It's New Year's Eve, and our lines are open. Let's go to our next caller. You're on the air."
A giggle came through. Young. Breathy. The kind of laugh that knew it had a secret.
"Hi, Milena! Oh my God, I love your show. I listen all the time."
"Thank you, sweetheart. What's on your mind tonight?"
Another giggle. "Okay, so… I'm seeing someone. But he's married."
I kept my face neutral. The camera wasn't on me, but Rachel was watching through the glass. I nodded as if this were any other call.
"I see. And how does that make you feel?"
"Honestly?" Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "It's kind of thrilling. Like, I know it's wrong, but… he's a surgeon. Really important. And when he looks at me, it's like I'm the only person in the world."
My fingers tightened on the edge of the console.
"He says the cutest things," she continued. "Like last week, I surprised him at the hospital after his shift, and he laughed and said, 'You're going to be the death of me.' Isn't that sweet?"
The room tilted.
I heard it then. In the background. A low, familiar laugh. The kind that rumbled from the chest. The kind I'd heard a thousand times across a dinner table, in a dark bedroom, on lazy Sunday mornings.
Cassian's laugh.
"Milena? You still there?"
I swallowed. My throat was dry. "Yes. I'm here."
"So what do you think? Should I keep seeing him?"
I looked at the clock. Three minutes until the hour. Three minutes until midnight. Three minutes until a new year that suddenly felt like it was swallowing me whole.
"I think," I said slowly, "that you deserve someone who chooses you in the daylight. Not just in secret. Not just when it's convenient."
She laughed again. Light. Dismissive. "But that's what makes it fun."
"Maybe," I said. "But fun doesn't keep you warm when you're alone at midnight."
I disconnected the call. My hand was shaking. I pressed it flat against the desk and took a breath.
"That's all the time we have tonight, everyone. Thank you for spending your New Year's Eve with me. I hope this year brings you clarity, courage, and the love you truly deserve. Happy New Year."
I pulled off my headphones. The studio was silent except for the hum of equipment. Through the window, I saw Rachel watching me. Her brow was furrowed. She mouthed, *You okay?*
I nodded. I stood. I walked out of the booth and past her without stopping.
"Milena—"
"I'm fine," I said. "Just tired."
I took the elevator down alone. Outside, the city was alive with noise. Horns. Laughter. Fireworks blooming somewhere over the East River. I stood on the sidewalk and watched couples kiss under the streetlights.
My phone buzzed.
**Cassian:** *Happy New Year, babe. Still at the hospital. Be home soon.*
I stared at the text. Then I turned off my phone and walked home through the cold.
---
He came in after midnight. I heard the door, the rustle of his coat, the clink of his keys in the bowl by the entrance. I was sitting on the edge of our bed in the dark.
The bedroom door opened. Light from the hallway spilled in. Cassian's silhouette filled the frame.
"Hey," he said. "You're still up."
I didn't answer.
He stepped inside. Loosened his tie. Came closer. There was a scent on him. Floral. Light. Not mine.
He leaned down and kissed my temple. His lips were warm. Familiar. Distant.
"Long night," he murmured. "I'm gonna grab a shower."
I listened to the water run. I sat with my hands folded in my lap. I had spent seven years talking myself out of my own instincts. Seven years explaining away the distance. The late nights. The phone calls he took in the other room.
Tonight, I didn't.
---
The next morning, I went to the station early. Rachel was already there, sorting through archived files.
"Hey," she said. "You left in a hurry last night."
"I need a favor," I said.
She looked up. "What kind of favor?"
"I need the full recording from last night's show. The whole broadcast. For a podcast clip."
She studied me. "Which segment?"
"All of it."
She didn't ask questions. She pulled the file and copied it onto a USB drive. I slipped it into my bag.
In the editing booth, I closed the door. Put on headphones. Played the file.
The caller's voice. The giggle. The confession.
And then, in the background, unmistakable:
*"You're going to be the death of me."*
Cassian's laugh.
I played it again. And again. And again.
Then I saved it to an encrypted drive. I didn't know what I would do with it yet.
I only knew I wouldn't throw it away.
---
Over the next few days, I started looking. Really looking.
Cassian's phone was always face-down. He showered the moment he got home. He had "gym sessions" at strange hours.
I told myself I was being paranoid.
But I kept looking.
One night, I went through his coat pockets. I was looking for a receipt. Something mundane. Instead, I found two ticket stubs.
A movie theater. A romantic comedy. The date was stamped three weeks ago.
The night he told me he was in emergency surgery.
I stood in the closet holding the stubs. My hands were steady. My chest was tight.
I put them back exactly where I found them.
And I filed the fact away in silence.
