The address in the anonymous message led to an old, abandoned warehouse near the docks — the same area where her life as a struggling waitress had once felt simple and safe. Now it felt like the place where everything would either end or finally make sense. The wipers slashed across the windshield, mirroring the storm raging inside her heart.
Aria parked a block away and slipped out of the car, gun concealed under her jacket, her tactical boots silent on the wet pavement. The warehouse was dark and decaying, broken windows letting in the pouring rain. Every shadow made her pulse race, but she refused to turn back. The queen who had risen from nothing would not run from the truth, no matter how devastating it might be.
Inside, a single light illuminated the center of the vast space. A man
