Under the Quiet Sky The desert had a strange kind of silence — the kind that made you aware of your own heartbeat. No traffic, no ringing phones, no constant background hum of city life. Just wind, the crackle of a small fire, and an open sky full of stars. Ethan Hale sat outside his RV, an old silver one that rattled a bit every time the wind hit it. It wasn’t much, but it was his home now — at least for a while. He poured instant coffee into a dented metal mug and blew on it. It tasted bitter, but it was warm, and right now, that was enough. The Break A month ago, his life had looked completely different. Los Angeles. A nice apartment. A job in advertising that paid well and ate his soul piece by piece. He had meetings, clients, coworkers who pretended to be friends, and a father who used to call every Sunday — until he didn’t anymore. His dad’s heart had simply stopped one night. No warning, no goodbye. Just gone. Ethan didn’t even take time off work. He showed up the nex...