August's POV

Going back to the company was worse than I'd imagined, and my expectations had already been low.

There was no explicit resistance, no hostile emails. The doors were open, my name was still on the organizational charts, and my position remained intact. At first glance, I had been allowed to resume my place as if nothing had happened.

It only took a few minutes to understand. I hadn't returned with any real freedom.

Even my parking spot wasn't the same. Some familiar faces loo