The first time Elena Voss saw Adrian Hale, the world was already burning.
Sirens tore through the night.
Glass shattered somewhere behind her.
And the man she once loved lay lifeless on a hospital bed, his final words unfinished—his truth buried with him.
It was—
Two words.
Enough to fracture everything.
Enough to turn grief into suspicion.
And now—
Nothing felt real.
---
“You need to leave.”
The voice cut clean through the chaos.
Elena turned.
Adrian stood at the end of the corridor, no longer just a stranger—but something sharper. Focused. Controlled. Watching her like he already understood what she hadn’t yet accepted.
“Why?” she asked.
His gaze flicked to the windows. Blue lights flashed across the rain.
“They’re already here.”
Her chest tightened. “Who?”
He stepped
