Jay zipped up his suitcase and looked around the apartment one last time. Every corner held a piece of memory—some recent, some old. The folded blanket on the couch reminded him of Riele asleep just nights ago, her hair spread across the pillow like a poem unfinished. The faint scent of her perfume still lingered in the room, fragile and fleeting.

He sighed and reached for his phone, unlocking it with shaky fingers. He opened their message thread, his thumb hovering for a second. Then, he ...