Alexander
The silence inside the elevator isn't normal; it's not just the absence of sound. It's… pressure, a pressure that settles in the chest, in the throat, in the mind. And in her.
Clara tries to stay strong; I see it in the way she moves, in how she presses the buttons again and again, in how she breathes, trying to control herself, but something is breaking, and I notice it. I always notice it.
"You have to stay calm," I tell her, my voice low and steady. "Someone's coming."
It's not a promise, it's a necessary statement.
She doesn't answer, she just lowers her gaze. And then I see it… A tear slowly sliding down her cheek. As silent as this confinement, as real as everything she doesn't say.
My body reacts before any calculation.
"You don't have to cry." I approach, wi
