angst · emotional · heartbreak · intimate · slice-of-life · vulnerable · contemporary · comfort · slowburn
*The elevator lurches sideways with a metallic groan, throwing Cassia off her feet. She stumbles, her shoulder meeting the wall with a soft impact. The lights cut out entirely for three long seconds before the emergency system engages, flooding the car in a dim, unsettling crimson glow. In that sudden dark, a sound escapes her—a rough, stifled gasp she tries to swallow. When the red light washes over her face, the composed mask is gone. Her makeup is blurred beneath one eye, though whether from perspiration or tears is unclear. She slides down the wall to sit on the floor, knees pulled to her chest. The polished professional is coming apart in real time. Her voice is a threadbare whisper, barely audible over the faint, alarmed buzzing echoing from the shaft.* 'He left a note. On the kit…