The city had changed its color.
Night painted everything in deeper shades,blue, silver, and quiet. The lights from passing cars flickered over Sia's face as she stepped out of the logistics company building, her long day finally done.
She wasn't in a hurry.
The air was cool, the streets calmer than usual. It was the kind of night that used to make her wish for company, for someone to walk her home.
But not anymore.
Tonight, she was content to walk alone.
As she reached the curb, a familiar black sedan slowed to a stop beside her. The tinted window rolled down, and the glow of the streetlight fell across Leon's face.
"Miss Moore," he greeted smoothly. His voice carried that effortless confidence that always seemed to draw attention, even when he wasn't trying. "You work too hard."
Sia tilted her head slightly. "Or maybe others don't work hard enough."
He laughed softly, genuine amusement in his tone. "Touché."
They stood there for a moment, the sounds of the city murmuring around them. Then Leon gestured toward the car. "Let me give you a ride. It's late."
She hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Thank you."
The door opened with a soft click, and she slid into the passenger seat. Leon started the engine, the low hum filling the quiet space.
He didn't speak right away, and neither did she. But something unspoken shifted between them,a current of curiosity, of recognition. Two people who had seen too much of the world's cruelty and were quietly building armor against it.
When the car merged into the main road, Sia glanced out the window. The reflection staring back wasn't the same woman who used to bend herself to please others. Her gaze was calm now,colder, maybe,but alive.
Across the street, Adams stood frozen under the yellow glow of a streetlight.
He had been there for nearly fifteen minutes, waiting, restless.
He was supposed to "surprise" her tonight, maybe make her laugh, smooth over the distance that had grown between them.
But the sight that greeted him felt like a punch.
Sia was with another man.
Not just any man,a tall, composed stranger who opened the car door for her like it was second nature.
Adams watched, blood boiling, as she stepped inside without hesitation.
The engine purred, the car glided away, and Sia disappeared down the road,without so much as a glance back.
The flowers in his hand,cheap daisies he'd picked up on the way slipped from his grasp and hit the pavement.
He didn't notice.
He just stood there, staring, until the tail lights vanished into the night.
Then he moved.
By the time Adams reached her apartment complex, the night had settled deep and quiet. He ran up the stairs, irritation fueling every step. His pulse pounded, his jaw clenched.
He reached her door, punched in the code: 0-7-1-2.
His birthday. The same one he'd made her use years ago.
The keypad blinked once.
Access denied.
Adams frowned. He tried again.
Access denied.
He hit the code again, harder.
Access denied.
The mechanical beep echoed sharply in the hallway. Adams cursed under his breath. "You've got to be kidding me."
He tried knocking next, the sound dull against the door. "Sia! Open up!"
Nothing.
The apartment was silent. No footsteps, no movement.
He pressed his ear against the wood. Still nothing.
"She's not home..." he muttered, half to himself, half to the empty air. "Where the hell did she go?"
The elevator doors opened softly behind him. A familiar voice broke through the silence.
"Adams?"
He turned sharply. Nicole stood there, holding a small overnight bag, her face painted with confusion and that same innocent smile she always wore when she wanted to seem harmless.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, walking closer.
"I could ask you the same thing," Adams snapped.
Nicole sighed, her tone light. "Sia invited me for a sleepover. Said she wanted to talk. But..." she glanced at the closed door, "it looks like she's not home."
"Yeah," Adams muttered, crossing his arms. "And she changed the damn door code."
Nicole blinked. "She did what?"
He pointed at the keypad, frustration bubbling. "Try it yourself."
She stepped forward, entered the code.
Access denied.
The small red light flashed twice.
Nicole frowned. "That's... odd."
"Odd?" Adams let out a bitter laugh. "It's insane. She's never locked me out before."
Nicole leaned against the wall, her expression thoughtful. "Maybe she just wanted privacy."
"Privacy?" His voice rose. "She's my wife, Nicole! She doesn't need privacy from me."
Nicole smirked faintly. "Maybe she thinks she does."
He glared at her, but she looked away, smoothing her hair and trying to hide her unease. The truth was, she didn't like it either.
Sia changing her password felt wrong. Out of character. Like something fundamental had shifted.
Adams turned back to the door, pressing his palm against it. "You think she's with that guy?"
Nicole stiffened. "What guy?"
He exhaled sharply. "Some man picked her up from work tonight. Suited, confident. The type that screams money."
Nicole tried to sound casual. "Maybe a coworker?"
"Yeah," he said bitterly. "And maybe I'm the President."
Silence filled the hallway again, heavy with things neither wanted to say aloud.
Finally, Adams sighed, frustrated. "Forget it. Let's go grab a drink. She's clearly doing this to get a reaction."
Nicole hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Fine."
They turned and walked down the corridor together, their shadows stretching long and thin behind them.
The keypad's light blinked quietly after they left,blue, unyielding, loyal only to its new code.
The bar was half-empty, the dim light flickering over bottles lined neatly on the shelves. Adams ordered whiskey. Nicole ordered wine. The air between them was taut.
"She's changed," Adams said finally, staring into his glass. "She used to wait for me. Always worried if I didn't call."
Nicole shrugged lightly. "Maybe she got tired of waiting."
He glared at her. "You think this is funny?"
"No." Her tone softened, but her eyes glinted. "I think it's about time."
He leaned back, scowling. "She's probably trying to make me jealous."
Nicole tilted her head, her voice honey-sweet but edged. "Is it working?"
Adams didn't answer. His silence was all the answer she needed.
Nicole looked away, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass. In her mind, a new unease took root.
Sia's distance wasn't normal. It wasn't just emotion,it was control.
The girl who used to beg for love now made others chase her.
That realization unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
Adams downed the rest of his whiskey in one swallow, his voice low. "She'll come around. She always does."
But neither of them believed that.
