desertion

181

LYDIA

The air in our office was suffocating. It wasn't the heat or the cramped space. It was the tension. It was thick, lingering, refusing to leave. Mason and I barely exchanged words as we worked, both of us buried in the weight of the case. His impulsive trip to forensics had blown up in both our faces. Not only did it fail to get us what we needed, but we'd also been scolded by the higher-ups for "unprofessional behavior."

I'd said nothing during the reprimand, letting Mason stew in his own decision. Now, hours later, we were back in the office, still empty-handed, and the silence between us felt like a ticking time bomb.

"I told you not to go," I said quietly, breaking the silence as I shuffled through the files on my desk.

Mason slammed his hand on his desk, making me flinch. "Don't start, Lydia. Just don't."

I didn't even look at him. "I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying!" he snapped, his voice louder than I'd ever heard it. "You don't have to keep rubbing it in, alright? I get it. I screwed up."

I finally looked up at him, keeping my voice calm. "I'm not rubbing it in. But this is exactly why I told you to wait. You acted on impulse, and now we're both paying for it."

Mason scoffed, standing up and pacing the room. "Right, because you're so perfect, huh? You've never made a mistake? Never taken a risk? Give me a break, Lydia."

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "This isn't about me. It's about the case. It's about Madilyn. Every minute we waste is another minute her father gets further away, and now we're back to square one because you couldn't keep your emotions in check."

His head snapped toward me, his eyes blazing. "Don't you dare talk to me about emotions, Lydia. You think I don't care? You think this isn't eating me alive? I'm trying to do something while you just sit there with your files like it's going to magically solve itself!"

I stayed seated, my arms still crossed, my voice steady despite the anger simmering inside me. "We're a team, Mason. We're supposed to work together. But you keep acting like this is all on you, like you're the only one who cares. It's insulting."

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm insulting? That's rich coming from someone who shuts down every idea I have. You're so caught up in being right that you can't see past your own nose."

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm. "This isn't about being right. It's about doing what's best for the case. You going rogue wasn't best for the case, and you know it."

Mason's pacing stopped abruptly, and he turned to face me, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You know what, Lydia? Maybe if you actually opened up once in a while, we wouldn't be stuck like this. But no, you keep everything bottled up, acting like you've got it all under control. Newsflash: you don't. And it's driving me insane."

His words hit harder than I expected, but I didn't flinch. I just stared at him, letting the words sink in, letting them bruise.

"You're just going to sit there, aren't you?" he said, his voice quieter now but still sharp. "You're not even going to fight back."

I stayed silent, my eyes dropping back to the file on my desk.

"Of course," he muttered bitterly. "Of course, you're just going to shut down. Typical Lydia. God forbid you actually show a little vulnerability."

The room fell silent, his words hanging heavy in the air. I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for a reaction, but I didn't give him one. I couldn't.

After a long pause, Mason let out a frustrated sigh and sat back down at his desk, slamming his chair into the desk as he did. "This is pointless," he muttered.

I nodded faintly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah. It is."

The rest of the day passed in strained silence, the tension between us thickening with every passing minute. I kept my head down, focusing on the files in front of me even though the words blurred together. I couldn't shake the weight of Mason's words, the way he'd lashed out, the way he'd cut deeper than he probably realized.

We were both crumbling under the pressure, and it didn't take a genius to see it. The worst part was, I didn't know how to fix it.