Jack's eyes lingered on my face for a moment as he rose from the table."Tomorrow is an important day, isn't it?" he asked, his voice trembling gently with curiosity, almost too polite—yet there was something more hidden beneath those words, an intuition he wasn't voicing.
I gave him a faint smile. My lips moved, but the knot in my throat choked the words before they could flow."In my own way… yes," I said, the safest answer I could offer. Jack's gaze lingered just a heartbeat longer before he silently nodded. But that look—it had already carved itself into my mind.
As I walked down the corridor, the echo of my footsteps filled the silence. With each step, I felt the weight of a date I had carried for years.09.09.2009.More than just a page torn from a calendar—it was a blade that split my life in two: before and after.
Inside the elevator, I caught sight of my phone's screen.21:09.Coincidence? Or was the universe reminding me once again of that day?I drew in a deep breath. In the mirrored glass walls, my own eyes stared back at me—familiar, yet exhausted.
I knew it… keeping the secret wasn't going to be as easy anymore. Jack, whether he realized it or not, was dangerously close to piecing together the clues. I couldn't tell if he would be patient enough to wait, or reckless enough to uncover the truth.
The elevator doors slid open. As I headed toward the conference room where my boss was waiting, a subtle unease stirred inside me.Tomorrow… it would be that day again.And, like every year, I would return to the place no one else knew.But this year… the thought of someone following me gnawed at the edges of my mind.Why had Jack acted that way?A voice inside whispered, You're overthinking, you're wrong, but my racing heart betrayed me.
Lost in those thoughts, I snapped back to the present when, during the meeting, I suddenly heard the words—"our finance director."The weight of reality pulled me back sharply.
When I stepped out of that meeting, the weather was surprisingly pleasant. A quick glance at my phone showed no sign of Jack—not a call, not a message. It was as if our conversation had never happened, his behavior today a complete contrast, oddly distant.
Back home, I knew I needed a deep sleep. The day had come again. I had to gather my strength.I took a long shower, yet my mind remained locked on that date—09.09.