She sat up in bed, the glow illuminating her tired face. The sender was “Kai.” She hadn’t spoken to Kai in eight months. Not since the argument that wasn’t really an argument—more like a slow fade, a signal dropping bar by bar until there was only static.

Then:

Then:

That’s all it said. No punctuation. No follow-up. Just those three words, swimming in a blue bubble on Lena’s phone screen.

She typed back: “Kai? You okay?”

The message arrived at 3:14 a.m.