A vow renewed in anger
Like a countdown to something irreversible, the sirens grew louder, their wails ricocheting through the concrete hallways until the sound seemed to live inside Emilia’s chest. Each pulse echoed against the walls, against her ribs, against the thin membrane of control she had been clinging to since the truth cracked open. Red light bled intermittently beneath a distant doorway, painting the corridor in flashes of urgency and threat. The building itself felt alive—angry, alert, closing in.
Emilia curled her fingers tighter around the flash drive. The sharp edges bit into her palm, grounding her in pain when her thoughts threatened to spiral. That small piece of metal held everything: confessions spoken too late, alliances built on lies, and the quiet, deliberate thre
