Chapter 33

LEILA

It was a routine gray Tuesday morning—one of those Berlin mornings that felt half-asleep, the clouds hanging low over the city like they’d given up trying to be anything other than dull. I’d taken the train to work, still wrapped in the heaviness of the past couple of weeks, still checking my phone obsessively even though I kept telling myself not to.

By the time I sat down at my desk, my hair was still damp from the mist outside. I powered on my computer, set my tea beside me, and opened my inbox out of habit more than expectation.

And then I saw it.

Subject: Critical Skills Employment Permit – Approval Confirmed

For a moment I didn’t breathe. I just stared at the line of text, my pulse thudding in my ears. My first irrational thought was that I was hallucinating. My second was that maybe it was a scam email.

My third—slow, dawning, and electric—was that this was real.

I clicked it open with trembling fingers.

The message was brief, almost anticlimactic considering what it meant for my life. A warm greeting from the Department official, a formal confirmation that the permit had been approved, and a note that Michael O’Shea had already been informed. There were attached documents, official seals, steps for next actions.

But all I could see was the word approved.

I covered my mouth with both hands as tears stung my eyes—sharp, overwhelming, uncontrollable. I didn’t sob, exactly; it was more like something inside me cracked open, releasing weeks of tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Oh my God.”

Dr. Keller walked in right then, passing my desk with her usual stack of morning folders. She paused mid-step when she saw my face.

“Leila? Are you all right?”

I nodded too quickly, wiping at my eyes. “I—yes. Yes, I’m fine. Just ... something happened.”

She set her folders down, concern softening her expression. “Good something or bad something?”

“Good,” I managed. “Really good.” I didn’t want to tell her yet. Soon, but not yet.

She smiled in relief. “Then breathe. Whatever it is, breathe first.”

I laughed shakily and did as she said.

I pulled myself together enough to forward the email to my personal account. Then I grabbed my phone and stepped out into the hallway, where the office was quiet and the morning light from the tall windows made everything look washed-out and surreal.

My hands were still shaking when I dialed Elias.

He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, habibi—everything okay?”

“I got the email.”

A moment of silence. “Which email?”

I swallowed hard. “The one we’ve been waiting for.”

Another pause—and then he absolutely erupted.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

His voice echoed through my phone so loudly that I had to hold it away from my ear. “Leila—Leila—oh my God—are you serious?”

“Yes!” I laughed, half crying. “It’s approved! It’s really approved!”

I could hear him pacing—he always paced when excited—his breath coming in bursts.

“This is incredible! This is amazing! When did it come?”

“Just now. I almost fainted.”

“I’m coming over,” he said instantly.

“No—Elias, you’re at school—”

“I can be there in ten minutes.”

“You will not skip work for my permit!”

He groaned dramatically. “Fine. But I’m leaving the second the bell rings.”

I wiped at my cheeks again, smiling so widely my face hurt.

“We’re actually going,” I said softly. “We’re ... moving to Ireland.”

The words tasted unreal. Impossible. Beautiful.

Elias must have felt the same, because his voice dipped into something hushed and warm.

“Yes,” he said. “We are.”

We stayed on the phone for another minute, both laughing, both stunned, both giddy. When we hung up, I pressed the phone to my chest, letting the moment sink in.

I walked back to my desk in a strange daze, the air around me buzzing with anticipation. The cloudy Berlin morning didn’t feel heavy anymore.

I waited until after lunch to speak with Dr. Keller, partly because I wanted to calm down, and partly because I needed the morning to convince myself this was all real. Even with the official documents printed and tucked neatly into a folder on my desk, it still felt like a dream I might wake from.