The future we had built was gone, replaced by something harder and more real.

I closed the case and placed it back in the box.

I picked up the box, walked over to the trash bin near the credenza, and set it inside.

Then I walked back to my desk, opened my laptop, and began to review the morning’s market reports.

The rain began to fall again outside, tapping softly against the glass.

I worked until midnight, my fingers steady on the keys, the office quiet around me.