Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

Serena’s pov “I’m so tired, Mom. I’m so, so tired.”The words came out before I planned them. I was standing in front of her grave, hands shoved deep into the pockets of my coat, shoulders hunched against the cold. The cemetery was quiet in that early-morning way that made everything feel paused. There were no cars , no voices Just damp air and the smell of wet stone.I hadn’t been here since the burial , where I was shot at. I couldn’t even say my last goodbye .I stepped closer and stared at her name carved into the headstone. It looked smaller than I remembered Like it didn’t belong to her. My legs started to shake, and I didn’t bother stopping it. I lowered myself to the ground and rested my hand against the stone. It was cold and slick with moss.“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore,” I said. My voice sounded thin, like it might snap. “I wake up every day and something feels wrong like I’m missing pieces of myself.”The tears came then… hot, jagged sobs that tore through the si

Serena’s POV The bus pulled into Long Beach just after midnight.I stepped down onto the cracked pavement with my bag over my shoulder and the smell of salt, diesel, and oil thick in the air. The station was loud but impersonal… people moving past each other without looking, conversations ending as quickly as they started. No one cared who I was or where I came from.Long Beach felt like a place where people disappeared on purpose. Dockworkers, night shifts, tourists killing time, strangers passing through. I blended in without trying.I walked several blocks before choosing a hotel.It wasn’t cheap enough to look desperate or expensive enough to raise questions. Just a mid-range place near the port, lights on, doors locked, staff that wanted the night to end quietly.Inside, I crossed the lobby and approached the front desk.“Checking in,” I said calmly. “One night, the name’s Angela.”He typed it in without hesitation… No pause, no question.“That’ll be cash or card.”“Cash.”I said

Serena’s POV I woke before my alarm. It wasn’t panic this time, It was a habit. My eyes opened and my body stayed still, listening to footsteps in the hallway. A door opening two rooms down, someone laughing briefly, then silence. I waited another minute anyway, then sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The room was dim, early light creeping in through the thin curtains. I washed my face in the sink, brushed my teeth, and tied my hair back without thinking about it. I dressed for work and counted my cash again before leaving it hidden in the lining of my bag. I locked the door behind me and walked out into the morning like I belonged there. The café was already busy when I arrived. Marla glanced up from behind the counter and jerked her chin toward the back. “You’re early.” “I like early,” I said. She snorted. “Good, grab an apron.” The kitchen smelled like coffee and oil. I tied the apron quickly and went straight to the sink. No greeting tour, no small talk, I

Serena’s POVBy the end of the week, I knew the café’s rhythm better than my own pulse.I knew which customers ordered before they sat down. I knew who paid in cash and who always needed change. I knew who came alone and who never stopped talking. Watching had become automatic.That afternoon, the place was half full. A slow hour between lunch and the early dinner crowd. I wiped down the counter, refilled sugar jars, moved like I belonged there.“Angela,” Marla called from the back, “can you take table four?”“I’ve got it,” I said.I carried the tray over, set down two coffees and a plate of pastries. The couple barely glanced at me. Good!!! That was the point.I turned back toward the counter just as the television above the bar changed segments.“…following recent developments within the Romano organization…”My hand froze mid-reach.The sound didn’t register all at once, Just a word. A name…Familiar in a way my body recognized before my mind did.Romano!!!The volume wasn’t loud, I

Serena’s POVThe café was quiet in that fragile way it got after the morning rush with the tables wiped, chairs pushed in, the smell of burnt coffee clinging to the air. Marla was in the back counting receipts. One of the girls had gone to restock pastries. It was just me and the low hum of the refrigerator behind the counter.I wiped the same spot on the counter twice without realizing it.My mind drifted where it had been drifting more often lately… fire, smoke, exits. Where I would run if something went wrong? Which door ? Which street? And How fast?The bell above the door chimed.“Morning, welcome to Anchors Rest.” I said automatically, still looking down. “You can sit anywhere. I’ll be right with…”“I’ll have a black coffee… No sugar.My hand froze.That voice didn’t belong here. It didn’t belong in this town, this café, this version of my life.I lifted my head slowly and then I saw her !Isabella!!!She sat alone at the corner table near the window, one leg crossed over the ot