I woke in the darkness of the loft, the silence dense and unmoving, as though the walls themselves had absorbed every sound.

The air held a hush too deep to disturb. I slid from the bed, my feet pressing against the cold wood floor, grounding me in the sharp present. My pulse was heavy. My thoughts were heavier. Each breath carried unspoken questions, lined like battlegrounds of doubt. But I stood. I stood because I had to.

Dawn crept slowly across the skyline, the glass wall framing the ...