The drive to New York felt like the final nail in her coffin. As they crawled through the city, skyscrapers looming above, she stared out the window, trying to ignore the tight knot of anxiety in her stomach. The lights of the city blurred together, a shimmering contrast to the darkness in her heart. She glanced sideways at Lysander, his profile hard and unreadable.

“So,” his voice broke the silence, casual but with an edge that made her skin prickle. “Thinking about ...