Back in my apartment,

The lock clicked behind me as I stumbled into my penthouse, blood drying at my temple, ribs aching, adrenaline finally fading.

I kicked the door shut with the back of my boot, letting the silence soak into my bones. My coat slid off, heavy with dust and battle, revealing the bruises already blooming beneath my clothes.

The ghost of Clarissa’s betrayal clung to my skin. But I was alive and that was the part that mattered.

I walked into the kitchen, poured myself ...