LOGINThe 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
The fifth lot began. Edward moved to speak to someone at the side of the room. I watched the auctioneer. She crossed the room toward him. He turned when she spoke. She laughed. It had worked before, that laugh. I scanned the sixth lot. Mixed media, authenticated 2019, provenance verified. Her h
Alicia's POV Volkov was already at the door when we came in. His eyes went to my dress and came back up. Lazily. He turned to Edward, and they shook hands. It ran a half-second longer than it needed. "You both came," he said. "You invited us," Edward said. "I invite many people. They don't alwa
"I'm making you food," she said, standing. "Real food. Not whatever they serve in that prison." "I'm not hungry." "Don't care. You're eating." She disappeared into the kitchen. Cabinets opened. A pan hit the stove. The sounds of someone who knew exactly what needed doing. I sank into the couch,
Alicia’s POV The apartment was quiet. Not the comforting quiet that let you sink into stillness, but the kind that pressed against your temples and reminded you of everything you hadn’t done, everything you’d lost. Elena had already left for work. The sound of her heels fading down the stairwell wa
Alicia's POV I woke to a sound I couldn’t place at first—shapes of voices drifting upward, blurred by distance and the layout of the house. Not words. Not tones I could clearly identify. Just the low hum of conversation traveling through the open staircase, the kind that shouldn’t have existed this
Alicia's POV My foot didn’t land where I thought it would. The floor swayed. Or maybe I did. I was going down now. But before I hit it, A hand closed around my arm. Firm. Warm. Anchored. A man’s voice, deep, close, said something I couldn’t understand. The words were just shapes. Muffled. L







