The silence in the office stretched. Not awkward. Empty. Heavy.
Like everything that had ever happened in that room was sitting between them, watching.
I walked toward the glass wall, pressing her palm against it. Her reflection stared back sharper, colder.
"I used to sit here and think power would feel different," i said quietly. "I thought it would feel… safe."
Cyrus stepped closer, voice low. "Did it?"
I shook my head once. "It felt like a cage with gold bars."
My fingers curled against the glass.
"I signed contracts, attended series of meetings, but that didn't heal me."
The air went tight.
Cyrus didn't interrupt. He never did when her voice turned like this.
"That man," i continued, referring to her dad "i used to flinch when my father raised his voice. Used to avoid my mother's eyes. And now…" i laughed, but it broke in my throat. "Now..." She said, pausing
I turned back to him.
My guard slipped.
Just a fraction.
"Do you know what scares me the most?" i asked.
He shook his head.
"It's not them. Not the building. Not the war that's about to start."
I stepped closer.
My hand brushed his sleeve.
My voice dropped into something almost fragile.
"It's that I don't know who I am without all of this."
That hit him.
Because he knew that feeling too well.
"You're not just this place," Cyrus said, moving closer without thinking about it. "You weren't made by glass and paperwork and people who hurt you."
I studied his face, like i was trying to decide if his words were a weapon or a truth.
My voice softened.
"You always sound like you believe that."
He let out a breath. "That's because I do."
I looked away again, jaw tightening.
"I told myself I'd walk in here and feel victorious," i whispered. "Like I'd won something."
My hands trembled now, unable to hide it.
"But all I feel is… tired. ""
Cyrus stepped closer this time.
His hand hovered by my wrist.
"Can I…?"
I hesitated.
Then nodded once.
He took my hand gently, like i might shatter.
Her fingers were cold.
"You don't have to be made of steel in here," he said quietly. "Not with me."
Her fingers tightened around his.
The city outside kept moving.
Cars passed. People laughed. A siren wailed somewhere far away.
The world didn't stop.
But somehow, in that room, time bent.
I rested my forehead against the glass.
My voice was barely there.
"What if they take it again?"
"Then we take it back again," he answered instantly.
I looked at him, a ghost of a smile appearing.
"You're reckless."
He tilted his head. "Absolutely."
A long breath left her.
For the first time since they walked in…
her shoulders dropped.
Just a little.
Like i wasn't carrying the entire world alone.
He squeezed my hand.
I squeezed back.
And in that quiet glass room full of ghosts and broken crowns…
I finally let herself exist.