Hailey left Brandon’s penthouse with the blanket of aftercare folded around her shoulders . The city felt different on the walk home — louder, sharper, every light a question. She had said green a dozen times that night and meant it; she’d trusted him, and the fact that she had chosen to trust made the ache in her chest both strange and honest.

Still, there was a knot of guilt under her ribs. Benjamin was waiting for her back at his apartment. He’d been distant recently — long hours, ...