Night arrived gently, without announcement.The city outside their windows settled into its familiar rhythm, lights steady, movement unhurried. Aurelia no longer carried the hum of anticipation or dread. It existed in the present tense now, neither bracing nor reaching.Lillian and Nathaniel sat together on the floor of the living room, backs against the couch, a shared cup of tea between them. No agenda. No conversation scheduled to mean something. Just the quiet that followed a long season of necessary vigilance.“I don’t feel like I’m waiting anymore,” Lillian said softly.Nathaniel turned his head slightly. “For what.”“For the next thing,” she replied. “The next demand. The next tes
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