Illustrator save stuck at 100% on v 28.5

Working with a file that I'm saving as a triptych (1 photo split into 3 parts), Illustrator acts like it's finished saving; allows me to edit the doc but won't let me save any other docs. It shows a blue circle in the upper right corner with the status that says 100% but it won't let me continue with other projects. After leaving it for multiple hours, it still says 100% with no file saved in finder. Just the temp file. I've tried on different computers, iMac and PC with the same result. Is my file corrupt or is there some other issue. I've tried copying all contents to a new file, but the same thing happens.. The file I'm working with is a large Photoshop file that's linked. The crazy thing is that it's the 3rd of 3 files of the triptych that all use the same link. The first 2 saved, but this 3rd one won't. I have no idea why.