The night air was heavy, carrying the faint metallic tang of rain-soaked asphalt and exhaust fumes. The city never really slept, but tonight it felt like it was holding its breath.
I stood in front of the mirror in Valen’s apartment, staring at the reflection that no longer felt like me. The dress clung too tightly, the heels felt like shackles, and the weight in my chest pressed down harder than the briefcase I had been ordered to deliver.
Ordered.
Not asked.
Valen’s voice still echoed in my ears….“This is simple. Walk in, drop it off, say nothing, walk out, don’t look back.”
He’d spoken with that sharp calm that always made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a blade.
No warmth.
No softness. Just the clipped tone of a man testing whether the girl in front of him could sur
