The First Time She Realized Home Was No Longer a Place The penthouse lost power at 11:43 PM. One second, warm lights glowed softly across the apartment. The next— darkness swallowed everything. “Oh my God.” Elena Laurent nearly dropped the wine glass in her hand as the entire living room went black. From somewhere nearby, Adrian Laurent sighed dramatically. “Well.” His voice echoed through the darkness. “This feels illegal considering how much this building costs.” Despite herself, Elena laughed softly. Rain hammered violently against the windows outside while thunder rolled across the city. “A storm probably hit something,” she murmured. Adrian’s phone flashlight flickered on a second later, illuminating part of the room in soft white light. And God. Even something as simple as that looked comforting now. He walked toward her carefully. “You okay?” The concern came automatically. Always automatically now. Elena nodded faintly. “Yeah.” Then smiled softly. “But
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