The clock on Sophie's dashboard glowed 11:47 p.m. as she pulled into the driveway of her modest suburban home, the engine's hum fading into the quiet night. The street was silent, save for the distant bark of a neighbor's dog and the rustle of leaves in the late summer breeze. Her body ached from the long shift at Blissville Hospital, but it was the weight of secrets that truly exhausted her, the files Helena had stolen, the FHCA's looming investigation, the plot to dismantle Devon Cole's empire.
She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat, slung it over her shoulder, and stepped out, the cool air kissing her skin like a warning.
