Something had changed for me. Everything had changed. I had to face the fact that I was not the same Dylan Moran who had worked here for years. The Many Worlds had killed him. He was gone, and he was never coming back. I needed to become someone new, but I still had no idea how to do that.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, as heavily as it had since it began. I stood up from the desk and leaned against the window frame, watching the drops run down the glass. The city and the lake were hidden from view behind a gray curtain. Despite the raging storm, I felt restless inside. A compulsion or obsession in my mind drew me to leave this place, to drive away into the rain, to find something I’d lost. I was supposed to be somewhere else.

But where?

“There’s a flood.”

I heard a voice behind me and turned around. Tai stood in the doorway of my office, her clothes soaking wet. Her words made me shiver. “What?”

“Half the downtown streets are flooded. That’s why I’m so late.”

“That’s okay. No problem.”

“Good morning, by the way.”

“Yes, good morning.”

“How did yesterday go? You were going to try Eve Brier’s new therapy. What happened?”

Tai showed no reluctance about asking me to share intimate confidences. Once upon a time, I would have done that, but not anymore.

“It went fine.”

“That’s all? Just fine?”

“That’s all, Tai.”

“Oh. All right.”

I watched her hesitate, trying to understand why I was acting so distant. She took a step into the office, as if she were debating whether to come closer. Talk to me. Touch my shoulder. Tell me that if I needed anything, she was here for me. If I felt lonely, I could come by for a drink tonight and for anything else that might happen.

But she saw the dismissal in my face. I couldn’t hide it. When I looked at Tai now, I saw all my mistakes with her come to life. I knew what it was like to sleep with her and share a bed together. I’d seen a world where we were husband and wife, and it was one more bad choice. None of it was real to her, but it was real to me, and I couldn’t get past it.

“We should talk about the Seaton wedding,” she said, her voice turning cool.

“Let’s do it later, okay? I have to go out for a while.”

“Okay. Whatever you want.”

I turned away toward the window, shutting down our conversation. There was a long pause behind me, and then I heard her footsteps as she left.

As she did, a voice called from the doorway.

“Come find me. I’m still here.”

I spun around. “What did you say?”