The next day came too quickly.

Sleep had been shallow—barely a drift, barely a breath between thoughts—so when the sharp ping of my phone sliced through the early morning quiet, it felt like a blow to the chest. I blinked twice, reaching blindly toward the nightstand, the screen turning my half-open eyes white.

A notification banner flashed across it.

LIVE NEWS ALERT: BUSINESS TYCOON EZEKIEL HART IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER CAR ACCIDENT.

My breath stilled.

For a second, maybe two, the ...