Ethan’s coffee mug slipped from his hand, hitting the carpet with a wet thud. He hadn’t typed that. His fingers were frozen above the keyboard.

“Ellie?” he whispered.

And in the bottom corner of the blank screen, a small, persistent flag:

Ellie_Room: I’ve been waiting in the queue.

He looked down at his headset. The boom mic was lowered. The mute button was off. A tiny red LED glowed on the dongle. He had been live this whole time. Every muttered curse at the printer. Every sigh. Every time he chose “Snooze” on the reminder to call her. The app recorded everything. It was the perfect, silent witness.

A soft click. The call ended. But the green dot next to his name never turned gray. It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat on life support.