The Bull Market's Last Drop

Marcus stood on the hotel balcony, rain plastering his expensive suit like a second skin. The **water** dripped from the eaves, rhythmically tapping against his skull—nature's metronome for his catastrophic evening.

Inside, Sarah sat on the bed, **zombie**-like in her posture, her face illuminated by the blue glow of her **iPhone**. She'd caught him. The **cable** news channels were already scrolling the headline: Tech CEO's marriage implodes during record quarter.

"It was just dinner," Marcus said, stepping inside, dripping wet. "With the **bull** of the industry himself. You don't say no to Harrison."

Sarah didn't look up. "You didn't come back to the room. Your phone went straight to voicemail. I called the front desk—they said Harrison booked a suite. For two."

Marcus sank into the armchair, watching his twenty-year empire dissolve. The **bull** market couldn't save him now. He thought about Harrison's offer—merger, marriage, all the same really. Glass buildings, glass hearts.

"I'm tired," Sarah said softly. "I'm so **tired**, Marcus. We're both just... walking dead. Going through motions."

The **cable** connecting her phone to the wall was taut, a lifeline charging a device that held their entire digital existence—photos, texts, years compressed into silicon.

Marcus reached across the space between them. His hand found hers, cold and trembling. Outside, the **water** kept falling, indifferent to human heartbreak.

"Let's leave," he said. "The **bull** market, the merger, all of it. I don't want to be a **zombie** anymore."

Sarah finally looked at him. Something flickered in her eyes—recognition, maybe. Or the ghost of who they'd been before the money, before the endless dinners and hollow victories.

"You mean it?"

Marcus squeezed her hand. "I do."

The **iPhone** chimed—Harrison, again. Marcus reached for the device, his thumb hovering over the screen. Then he pressed the power button. The screen went dark.

In that darkness, for the first time in years, they could finally see each other.