Chapter 93: I can sneak into your room at nights.

Anna picked up the phone from the passenger seat, squinting at the glowing screen as if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Gerald.

Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected to see his name, not after she ended his call with Aiden abruptly.

Her thumb hovered over the green icon, her chest tightening. She knew exactly what he wanted—to talk to her, to swoop in and play hero. But she wasn’t some helpless damsel waiting to be rescued. Not anymore. Not after Andy’s betrayal. Not after Gerald had fired her as if she were disposable.

No, she thought, jaw tightening. I made a promise to myself. No more leaning on any son of Adam.

With deliberate slowness, she placed the phone back on the seat. “He’ll get tired eventually,” she muttered, folding her arms across her chest as if bracing against the ache inside.

Outside the car window, firefighters moved like shadows against the flames, their voices sharp over the hiss of water and the crackle of burning wood. Neighbors huddled together, so