When she gently asked if something had happened, he hesitated long enough to make her uneasy, then dismissed it with a vague, “Just work stress. Long meetings, long travel.” His tone didn’t match the tension in his shoulders, yet Sandra accepted the explanation, assuming it was exhaustion rather than a deeper worry.
Later that night, Sandra awoke to find Jake lying wide-eyed in the dark, staring at the ceiling as if searching for answers he couldn’t reach. When she whispered his name, he turned quickly, forcing a smile that didn’t quite land. “Just can’t sleep,” he muttered, though the tension in his jaw betrayed more.