LOGINI ordered wine. The work wasn't finished. The room was quieter. She took the glass without comment. Drank. Set it down and kept writing. She spoke about the eastern corridor communities directly, without framing or adjustment, as if they existed in the room with us. Her hand moved as she talked, m
Edward's POV The door opened behind me. No knock. She came in already talking. "I need your numbers from Rotterdam before we fix anything else," she said. "The version you gave him assumes—" She stopped. I didn't turn immediately. Just reached for the towel, dragged it once over my face, then
The auctioneer's cadence moved through the wall. I had built something without him. That was still true. It would stay true. Whatever I said next didn't touch it. "I don't know," I said. "That's the honest answer. Not the managed version." I met his gaze. "I don't know if what's left is enough to
Alicia's POV The older man was still talking. "Seven years," he said. "Four jurisdictions. We moved water infrastructure across borders that hadn't spoken to each other in a generation." His hands traced corridors in the air between us. "The archive is the proof it happened. That it worked." He tu
“You entered without cause,” I said. “You stayed without one.” “I don’t know what this is between you two but—” “My wife.” No variation in tone. No additional weight needed. Alicia’s hand lifted a little, then halted mid-motion and settled again without completing the gesture. The woman exhaled
Edward’s POV “Forty thousand. Do I have forty-five?” The paddle was already raised. Alicia’s hand remained under mine, unchanged in position, as though neither of us had adjusted to its presence since it settled there. “Forty-five.” I raised. “Fifty. Fifty-five.” On the left, a man leaned forw
Alicia's POV The office was quieter than it had any right to be. High enough that the city looked unreal. Corner suite. Windows overlooking a slice of downtown I'd never paid attention to before. The kind of quiet that came from thick walls and expensive construction, the kind that made every smal
Twenty minutes later, I was in my car, moving through Manhattan with no destination. That was a lie. I hadn’t planned it consciously, but my hands knew where they were going. Muscle memory. Habit. Instinct I hadn’t broken yet. Twenty-five minutes after leaving the estate, I pulled over half a blo
Alicia's POV The kitchen smelled like butter and warmth. I’d started baking before dawn, my hands working from memory. Rolling dough. Cutting circles. Lining them up on the sheets. The kind of work that kept my mind quiet. Elena sat at the counter with her laptop open, attention split between wh
Ending it was the right call. The only call. So why couldn't I make myself do it? I stood. Looked at my keys sitting on the entry table. I could go out. Do something. Anything was better than staying here spiraling. Except I didn't want to go anywhere. I wanted to drive to Elena’s apartmen







