Marceline stepped out of the cab, her fingers trembling slightly as she rummaged through her purse for the fare. The driver cast a wary glance her way, his sharp eyes assessing her carefully, a hint of concern flickering across his face, but he refrained from voicing his thoughts. Instead, he accepted the cash with a curt nod. She managed a weak smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, nodded politely, and shut the door behind her. The cab rumbled away, trailing behind it a cloud of exhaust and the relentless, weary hum of the city that lingered in the air like a distant echo of a life she had once known.The iron gate loomed before her, its rusted bars standing tall and unyielding, a fortress to her tumultuous past. It was familiar yet felt like a stranger, like a place that once held warmth, now veiled in the cold fog of time and trauma. She took a shuddering breath, exhaled shakily, and reached forward to push it open. The hinges creaked ominously, the sound slicing through the
Last Updated : 2025-05-19 Read more