Chapter 27

• Renee stared at the half-finished spreadsheet in front of her, but her focus was entirely elsewhere. She hadn't moved in twenty minutes, her shoulders slumped, staring blankly at the 'Employee Leave of Absence' memo that sat neatly in the corner of her partitioned workspace.
• Camila, who had forgone her usual quick dash home, approached cautiously, carrying two mugs of weak, lukewarm tea—the sort of bland comfort the office canteen excelled at providing. She placed one in front of Renee, the clink of porcelain the only sound in the vast, emptying space.
• “Thought you might need this, love,” Camila murmured, settling into the empty chair next to Renee's desk. Her voice was soft, stripped of its usual cheerful office chirp.