“Please call when you get there.”

“Stay near your phone.”

The next twenty-four minutes felt like the longest of my life. Andrew searched flights, rental cars, and driving routes. Our client presentations vanished from our schedule.

He sent one email explaining that we had a family emergency and shut the computer. Neither of us discussed the contract we might lose. Work could wait.

Mia could not.

I called her watch again and again. No answer. The location still showed the house. The battery fell to three percent. Then the device went offline.