“I’ll be right outside,” he said to no one in particular.

He turned and walked out of the room, his heavy steps silent on the rubber flooring of the hallway.

I followed him out, closing the door softly behind me to give Dr. Rao room to work.

The hallway was quiet, smelling of floor wax and old coffee.

Ethan stood near the water cooler, his head bowed, his forehead resting against the cool drywall.

He looked smaller than he had in the office, his expensive shoulders slumped under the weight of his coat.

His phone buzzed again, the screen flashing bright blue in the dim corridor.

I stood a few feet away, watching him.

“You have to go to them, don’t you?” I asked.

He didn’t move for a long moment.

Then, he stood up straight and looked at the screen.

“Raskin says the board is calling an emergency meeting,” Ethan said, his voice empty.

“Why?” I asked.

“The merger,” he said. “It’s supposed to close tomorrow morning.”

“And they know you are here?”

“They know I am not there,” he corrected.