My packed suitcase stood by the closet door, fully latched and ready for the morning car to the airport.

I sat on the edge of the bed with my phone on speaker, listening to the soft hum of Theo’s studio out in California.

“The PR agency rang my office an hour ago,” Theo said, his voice coming through plain and unhurried.

“What did they want?” I asked.

“They took down the social media posts,” he said.

“The law firm sent a formal retraction to the architecture board, blaming an administrative error in their records.”

“Did they give any explanation?” I asked.