Morning came slowly to the beachfront condo.
The ocean had already decided to move on. Waves rolled in with the same patience they had shown the day before, foam sliding up the pale sand before retreating again. The gulls screamed overhead like nothing in the world had changed.
Inside the condo, everything had.
The living room still looked like the aftermath of a storm. Empty bottles stood on the counter like crooked monuments. Someone had knocked over a chair during the shouting the night before and never bothered to right it again. The sliding door to the balcony stood open, letting the salt air drift through the rooms.
Soren woke up first.
He sat up on the couch and scrubbed both hands over his face, breathing out slowly through his nose. His neck ached from sleeping upright. His t
