Maya took a breath. Then she typed back: “Hey, Liam. I’m okay. Are you?”

Nothing happened. No fanfare. No explosion. Just the quiet hum of her phone.

Maya exhaled. It didn’t hurt. Not the way she’d expected. It felt more like opening an old textbook from a class you’d already passed. Familiar, but irrelevant.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Then another notification.