I sat in the driver's seat, staring at the keys in my hand. They felt heavier than they should.
My heart was hammering so hard I could hear it in my own ears.
I took a slow breath and reached for the ignition.
The moment my fingers touched it, something inside me snapped.
My chest caved in. My lungs forgot how to work.
My hands started shaking on the steering wheel, trembling so badly I couldn't hold still no matter how hard I tried.
Tears flooded my eyes so fast the world in front of me turned into a blur. I couldn't see the road. I couldn't feel my legs beneath me. Everything around me shrunk to the sound of my own ragged, gasping breaths.
My mind screamed that I was going to crash. That something terrible was about to happen.
"I… I can't," I gasped, my voice cracking apart mid-sentence. "I have a phobia. I've never driven before, not really. The one time I tried, I had a panic attack. I don't know why it happens. I can't explain it. Please…"
The tears came freely after that. My whole body was shaking.
I pressed my hands into my lap just to keep them from trembling against the wheel, but it didn't help. I felt completely exposed.
Reid was quiet for a moment.
Then I heard the back door open.
He walked around the front of the car.
He stopped at the driver's door and pulled it open.
His green eyes found mine. There was surprise in them, it only flashed and then it gave way to something sharper. He looked Irritated.
"Move," he said. In a low and firm voice. "Passenger seat. Now."
I nodded and climbed over, my legs were barely cooperating. I sank into the passenger seat and pressed myself against the door.
Reid slid in behind the wheel, started the engine without a word, and pulled out of the parking.
The ride was completely silent.
He didn't ask questions. He didn't even look at me. He just drove and kept his eyes on the road.
The city moved past the windows…buildings, people, but I barely saw any of it.
I sat there wiping my face with the back of my hand, still trembling, feeling stupid and defeated.
It was my first day. I hadn't even made it out of the parking lot before I began to fall apart.
We arrived at The Sapphire Room twenty minutes later.
It was in the heart of the business district, the kind of restaurant that didn't need a flashy sign because everyone who needed to know already knew.
Reid parked and got out without looking back.
"Follow me," he said.
Inside, a distinguished older man was already waiting at a private table near the window.
He had silver hair combed neatly back, a tailored navy suit, and eyes that were sharp and intelligent beneath a calm, easy expression.
He rose when he saw Reid.
"Mr. Blackwood," he said, extending his hand with a warm smile. "Good to see you again."
Reid shook it firmly. "Mr. Harrington. Thank you for making time on short notice."
They exchanged a few words, then the meeting began.
The conversation stayed fast and technical. I sat at the edge of the table with my notepad open, writing as much as I could follow, trying to focus even though the panic from earlier still sat like a stone at the bottom of my chest.
I kept my breathing even and my eyes on the page. I told myself I could fall apart later.
Then my phone buzzed inside my bag.
I pressed it still with my palm and kept writing.
It buzzed again.
My face went hot. I could feel Reid's attention shift even before I looked up. When I did, his eyes were already on me, with that sharp edge of irritation I was beginning to recognize.
"Go pick your calls outside," he said in a low voice.
I excused myself quickly and stepped out into the quiet hallway.
I pressed the phone to my ear before I'd even fully stopped walking.
The moment the call connected, Mike's voice hit me like a wall.
"Where the hell are you?!" he shouted. "You were supposed to be at the courthouse hours ago! Do you think this is a joke? Do you think I have all the time in the world to wait for your useless ass?!"
"I'm sorry," I said, keeping my voice low. "Something came up. Please, just give me a little more…"
I didn't want to tell him that I got a new job already.
"Something came up?" He laughed. It wasn't a kind laugh. "You think I care about your excuses? You better get here before I lose my patience completely!"
"Mike, please.."
"Eva?"
The voice stopped me cold.
I turned around slowly, the phone still pressed to my ear, Mike still going on at the other end and I forgot about him entirely.
Standing in the hallway was someone I had spent a long time trying to forget.
Someone I never expected to walk back into my life. Not here. Not now. Not ever.
"You are Eva, right?" the voice asked again.
My mouth wouldn't move. My chest felt like it was being squeezed by two hands.
The past came flooding in, everything I had buried so deep I almost believed they were gone for good.
Mike, on the other hand was still shouting on the phone.
The restaurant hummed quietly behind us. But all I could do was stand there and stare with my heart pounding and my world tilting under my feet.
The nightmare was only just beginning.