Kiv glances up. I can read the question in her eyes. Then hesitation. Then acceptance.
She takes the envelope.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. Disguised.
“No,” I correct. “Thankhim.”
Her nod is small. Sacred.
I turn and leave before I can add anything else.
Outside the restaurant, the city air is sharp tonight. Wind slices through the terrace of street vendors. The neon puddles on the sidewalk shimmer like fractured mirrors. I pull my coat tighter.
Inside, I lock myself in the apartment again. I don’t flick on any lights. I only pull open the floor hatch where I keep the data equipment.
My fingers search for the small encrypted data shard. I breathe it in like it’s the only thing real right now—a tiny pattern of circuits and glass, loaded with proofs that I helped activate the erasure.
I slip it into a concealed pouch, then arm myself.
Helmet visor clipped to belt. Carbon-fiber blade strapped across my thigh. The weight of it familiar and cold.
I run my thumb over the steel edge.
The war I told myself was over? It’s not. It never ended. It just changed faces. I will not let it burn them.
The hum of my comm pad finally reaches me. A notification—but I don’t open it.
Instead, I turn off the main lights. Sit in the darkness. The city’s glow washes through the windows. I close my eyes.
I remember the first time I saw him cook. The fire, the heat, the way his muscles flexed with each perfect slice. The laughter that followed when I spilled sauce on my skirt.
I remember when I believed his smile was for me. Not for the cameras. Not for the causes.
And I remember the betrayal. How softly the knife slipped in.
Now?
Now I am chasing the shadow of redemption—though I don’t deserve it.
Yet.
I stand.
Pull on the boots that thump softly against the floor.
And step into the night.
Because if he doesn’t want me…
I’ll find someone who does.
Because this time I’m not silent.
This time I’m not hiding.
I will fight.
CHAPTER 16
