(Karen’s POV – Present Tense)

The days after my post feel strangely quiet.

Too quiet.

No new headlines. No leaked stories. No anonymous texts.

Just… silence.

It should feel like peace, but it doesn’t. It feels like the pause before an earthquake — the moment the world holds its breath before everything splits again.

I keep moving through the motions. Work. Coffee. Dinner. Laughter that still feels fragile. Dre’s been steady, calmer now, though his eyes always linger on the door ...