The car was waiting when Iren stepped outside.
Same driver. Same black exterior. Engine already running.
Iren paused for half a second before getting in.
No one had told him where to go.
They didn't need to.
The drive was smooth, silent. The city outside looked familiar again crowded streets, uneven traffic, people rushing with places to be that had nothing to do with contracts or schedules.
For the first time that day, Iren felt his shoulders loosen.
This was normal.
The building came into view, glass and steel like dozens of others. Not impressive. Not intimidating. Just… work.
The driver stopped precisely at the curb.
"Six," the man said, meeting Iren's eyes in the rearview mirror. Not a reminder. A confirmation.
Iren nodded and stepped out.
The noise hit him immediately voices, footsteps, phones ringing. Someone laughed near the entrance. Another person complained loudly about a meeting that ran too long.
No one looked at him twice.
No one knew.
That thought was strangely comforting.
He took the elevator up, exhaling slowly as the doors closed. When they opened again, the familiar floor greeted him rows of desks, low partitions, the hum of screens.
"Hey," someone called. "You look like hell."
Iren glanced over and forced a smile. "Good morning to you too."
"Rough night?" the man asked.
"Something like that."
He slipped into his seat and logged in, fingers moving on autopilot. Emails. Reports. Deadlines that made sense. Problems he could actually solve.
For a while, it worked.
Life settled back into place, like it had never been disrupted.
Then someone leaned against his desk.
"You disappear for one night and come back looking like you slept in a hotel," Milo said lightly.
Iren looked up.
Milo grinned, coffee in hand, eyes sharp in a way that made him seem more awake than everyone else this early. He was dressed casually, sleeves rolled up, tie loose.
"It was one night," Iren said. "Relax."
"Uh-huh." Milo took a sip. "That wasn't concern. That was curiosity."
Iren snorted. "You always overthink."
"Someone has to." Milo glanced at Iren's screen. "You're already caught up."
"I didn't sleep much."
Milo studied him for a second longer, then nodded. "Lunch later?"
"Maybe."
"Strong maybe or polite maybe?"
Iren hesitated. "Polite."
Milo smiled anyway. "I'll take it."
As Milo walked off, Iren leaned back slightly, watching him disappear into the noise of the office.
That..that was normal.
Casual conversation. No expectations. No structure disguised as care.
A meeting notification popped up on his screen.
He checked the time.
Right on schedule.
His stomach tightened before he could stop it.
He hadn't meant to check.
Across the floor, a ripple moved through the office. People straightened. Voices lowered. Someone whispered a name one he'd heard before, in passing.
The company head was in today.
Iren barely looked up.
That kind of person existed in a different world. Too high, too distant to matter to someone like him.
The meeting went on. Time passed.
At some point, his phone vibrated.
Not his personal one.
The other.
A reminder. Neutral. Professional.
Transit in twenty minutes.
Iren stared at the screen.
He hadn't told anyone when his workday ended.
He swallowed and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Lunch came and went. Milo dropped by again, joking about deadlines and office politics. Iren laughed at the right moments, nodded when expected.
He played his role well.
Too well.
As the clock edged closer to six, his focus slipped. Numbers blurred. Words stopped meaning what they were supposed to.
When the final email was sent, Iren leaned back and closed his eyes briefly.
Work was over.
Relief flickered
And vanished just as quickly.
Because there was no "home" waiting anymore.
His phone vibrated again.
This time, it wasn't a reminder.
It was a message.
The car will be there at six.
Iren stared at it.
He hadn't responded to the earlier notification.
He hadn't confirmed anything.
Still, Kael knew.
Slowly, Iren stood, shutting down his computer. Around him, coworkers packed up, complaining about traffic, talking about dinner plans.
Milo waved from across the room. "See you tomorrow?"
Iren nodded. "Yeah."
He meant it.
He stepped into the elevator and watched the doors close.
As the numbers descended, one thought settled heavily in his chest.
Work was the only place Kael wasn't.
And even here
Kael still knew when to bring him back.