Chapter 35

NERO

If I’m being honest, I didn’t even think about where I was driving.

My hands just moved on their own, steering through the familiar streets, the turns coming too easily, as if my body remembered something my mind didn’t.

Terra sat beside me, her perfume sharp and expensive, a kind of sweetness that left a sting after each breath. She was scrolling through her phone, humming faintly to some pop song playing low on the radio.

I barely listened. My focus wasn’t even on the road.

I had made the reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants uptown—crystal lights, champagne on arrival, the kind of place that made women like her feel photographed.

It was supposed to impress her.

But somehow, halfway through the drive, my chest began to feel… tight.

By the time I parked, the unease had turned into something familiar.

When I looked up and saw where I’d brought her, my breath caught.

Of all places.

The small café sat tucked in the corner of a quiet street, vines creeping along its