Your Refusal

Wolf moved to another place—one that had more sticky notes—in the studio next to his workspace. He touched each note on his desk, containing Zoe's more normal ramblings. She had asked him in detail about sound editing and some new vocal techniques he wasn't familiar with.

They talked about many things, all grounded in reality. Wolf had forgotten some memories, but now they all came flooding back. Wolf's gaze fell on a slightly separate sticky note. Zoe had handed him that note in the recording room, and Wolf took it out to stick it somewhere else. Wolf placed it in a different location than the others.

[Thank you].

It was Zoe's first thank-you.

Wolf took off the note, throwing himself onto the chair. He rubbed his face, recalling that moment. He had only offered her a drink and a cloth to wipe away her tears—something so simple. Yet Zoe expressed genuine gratitude with a smile, even though she was crying.

It meant Zoe hadn't received much kindness in the past few years. She had suffer