The elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime that felt far too ordinary for the war they were still fighting. Emilia leaned against the mirrored wall, eyes closed, Carla’s words looping in her head like a heartbeat:
Go end this.
Ethan stood beside her, silent and solid. The fresh stitches pulled at his side with every breath, but he didn’t complain. He never did.
“You okay?” he asked quietly as the car descended.
“No,” Emilia answered honestly. “But I will be when Amanda Blackwood stops breathing the same air as the rest of us.”
The doors opened to the underground parking garage. Their black SUV waited, engine already purring thanks to Ethan’s earlier call. He held the passenger door for her, then slid behind the wheel. The moment the doors sealed, the outside world felt miles away
