The Unyielding Rut

Previously

…Her thumb trembled slightly as she pressed the call button. The ringing tone seemed to echo the beat of her own heart, a nervous, hopeful rhythm. She didn't know what she would say, what Elias would say. But for the first time, she was willing to find out. The crack in her armor had widened, and through it, a fragile ray of light was beginning to shine. It was a terrifying prospect, but also, exhilaratingly, a promise. A promise of something real, something possibly profound, waiting just beyond the walls she had so carefully constructed.