Keifer came back on a quiet Thursday.
No announcement.
No welcome meeting.
No sudden shift in the building.
Only a soft sentence from Kaizer at the end of a review.
"Keifer returned this morning."
That was all.
Jay felt it before she could stop herself.
Relief.
It slipped into her chest like air after being underwater too long.
She didn't smile.
Didn't react.
Just nodded once… like the information meant nothing more than a flight schedule.
But the room felt lighter.
Even though his chair was still empty.
Someone asked, "Will he join the next session?"
Kaizer shook his head.
"He's exhausted. Jet lag. He'll rest today."
Jay lowered her eyes to her file.
Good.
He should.
Europe had always sounded brutal in their schedules.
Still…
Her gaze drifted, instinctively, to the door.
It didn't open.
The meeting ended.
Normally, she would leave immediately.
Today, her steps slowed in the hallway without her permission.
Ridiculous.
She wasn't going to look for him.
She wasn't—
"Jay."
She stopped.
It was Kaizer.
He stood near the glass wall, calm as ever.
"Your father is already in my office. We're reviewing the next phase tomorrow."
She nodded.
"I'll be ready."
As she turned to leave, Kaizer added quietly—
"He worked nonstop the entire month."
Jay's fingers tightened around her folder.
"I'm not surprised," she said.
Kaizer studied her for half a second longer than necessary.
Then simply—
"He'll be back in meetings soon."
Soon.
That word stayed with her all the way to the elevator.
Not today.
But soon.
And strangely…
That was enough.
For the first time in weeks, Jay went home on time.
Not because the work was lighter.
But because somewhere in the same city—
Keifer was finally back.
Tired.
Exhausted.
And breathing under the same sky as her again.
And that small, quiet truth…
felt like relief.