The morning sun stretched softly over Novan City, casting a golden hue across the quiet neighborhood as Ethan stepped out of his house.
The air was crisp, the sky clear, but his heart carried the weight of uncertainty.
Too much had happened over the past week. And today, he hoped, would bring answers. A clarity in a world that kept getting harder to understand.
He had just finished breakfast with his family. The moment had been peaceful, almost sacred.
Warm food, light chatter, the familiar scent of home. It was exactly what he needed before leaving.
But even in that calm, he'd been forced to lie. He told them he'd be gone for a few days on a business trip.
The reactions were mixed.
Though Ethan had often been away before, as a university student, then as the head of Nova Tech, this felt different.
After everything that had happened, especially the incident with Jordan and the Moore family, the worry in their eyes lingered longer than usual.
