Ravenshore had finally started to thaw.
The storms had drifted out to sea, leaving behind clean skies and a sun that dared, for once, to shine. The cobblestones still glistened from last night’s rain, and the air carried that soft, briny scent of salt and blooming lavender that always came when the sea breeze rolled through the cliffs.
Lilith sat at the small terrace of Café Aurelia, a place tucked between the bookshop and the old clock tower, one of the few corners of Ravenshore where people smiled without reason. The terrace overlooked the harbor, where gulls swooped lazily above fishing boats and the waves broke in the distance like applause.
She’d chosen the place deliberately, open air, broad daylight, nowhere to hide. Because today wasn’t about pretending anymore.
Her coffee sa
