Where the Noise EndsChapter 1

Working late, past midnight, I was waiting for a file to export and decided to kill time by scrolling through TikTok.

The video on my screen showed a girl clutching a bouquet of flowers at an airport arrivals gate. When she saw the person she was waiting for, she launched herself into his arms. He laughed, catching her in a tight embrace. The caption read: "My rock is back."

I froze.

The man in the video had just wished me goodnight an hour ago.

I dialed Jack’s number, my voice eerily calm. "Where are you?"

The sound of loud music and laughter crackled through the phone. "Out with the riding crew," he said breezily. "You're so far away, Winnie. It gets lonely out here, they're the only ones I've got to talk to." Before I could answer, another voice cut in, "Yo, Jack, your shot! Stop slacking."

* * *

In the back of the cab on the way home, I couldn't resist opening the video again.

There was no mistaking it. The shirt Jack was wearing—I'd picked it out myself.

I scrolled to the comments. Someone had asked the girl if he was her boyfriend.

She'd replied openly: *[Just my best riding buddy!] *

Her profile was filled with photos from their motorcycle trips. Jack had loved riding since college. After he was transferred to the Chicago branch, he didn't know a soul. He told me he'd found a few people on a local forum to ride with. He'd never hidden any of it from me.

But he never told me one of his "buddies" was a girl like this.

The next morning, I grabbed the suitcase I’d already packed and headed for the airport.

After landing in Chicago, I went straight to the Sterling Corporation tower.

The receptionist greeted me warmly, taking my luggage. "Ms. Thorne! We heard HQ was sending a new Director of Operations. I had no idea it was you."

She gave me a conspiratorial wink. "Mr. Heston is upstairs. I'll take you up."

I smiled back at her, but as I stepped into the elevator, my breath hitched in my chest.

Since Jack's transfer, we had been long-distance for two years. Two years of working our asses off, climbing the ladder in our respective cities.

And now, finally, I was here. I could stand in his city, under the same sky.

The elevator stopped smoothly on the nineteenth floor.

The doors slid open, and a pair of eyes immediately locked onto me.

The receptionist gestured to a beautiful young woman in a chic tweed suit. "This is Mr. Heston's new assistant, Chloe."

Then she turned back to me. "And this is—"

I cut her off. "I'm the new Director of Operations from headquarters, Winnie Thorne."

The woman opposite me hesitated for a fraction of a second before addressing me. "Ms. Thorne."

My heart, which had been fluttering with anticipation, plummeted into a black abyss. I knew that face, that voice. I’d spent the entire night staring at her profile.

"Winnie? What are you doing here?"

Jack's voice came from behind me.

I turned.

His eyes held surprise, but not a trace of joy.