Katelyn’s POV

As days went by, I became more fluent in the local dialect. I learned which neighborhoods to enter only with company. I learned how to handle bribes disguised as permits and how to say no without becoming a target.

I also learned how to be alone. Fully, quietly alone.

It wasn’t peace. But it was for a purpose.

The years blurred together in a rhythm of sunrises and assignments, of quiet rooftop evenings and rain-soaked mornings.

Seasons came and went, each marking a new ...