The penthouse fell silent once more. A silence so heavy it felt suffocating. Anna stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring down at the shimmering sprawl of Avernon City. The city that once felt like a dream now looked like a shimmering hell, waiting to swallow her whole. On the television screen, which remained flickering in the background, her face appeared yet again.
PRIMARY SUSPECT IN DEVANO SCANDAL: THE PAID MISTRESS.
Her hands shook. She clicked the TV off, but Evelyn's voice continued to echo through the chambers of her mind.
Sister…
Footsteps sounded behind her. Alaric.
His shirt was still unbuttoned, a fresh bandage wrapped around the palm of his hand where he had bled. But his eyes were far more damaged than his physical wounds.
"Don't stand so close to the window." It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.
Anna turned slowly. "I just wanted to see the city."
"The city wants to destroy you."
