Across the city in a high rise office, Julian moved through his afternoon with a sense of total confidence. His presentations were flawless and his colleagues nodded in silent respect as he spoke about growth and future stability.
Everything in his professional life was working perfectly, or at least every metric that could be measured on a spreadsheet was pointing in the right direction. He believed he was building a legacy for his children, but he was completely blind to the silent exhaustion taking place within his own walls.
The sky began to turn a bruised purple earlier than expected as thick storm clouds gathered over the suburbs. Rain started to fall in heavy, unrelenting sheets that blurred the lines of the manicured neighborhood.
Julian’s phone buzzed on the conference table during a high stakes negotiation. He ignored the vibration twice, but when the screen lit up for a third time with the word “Home,” a cold knot of anxiety twisted in his stomach.
He excused himself from the room and answered the call with a hushed greeting. “Hello? What is it?”