Aiden’s POV

I found the phone by accident. It was buried beneath layers of abandoned supplies in a storage tent within the Safe Zone. An old device, its casing scratched, its screen cracked at the corner like a spiderweb frozen mid-collapse.

Rue’s phone.

The moment I recognized it, my fingers went numb.

I don’t know how long I stood there staring at it before I realized I was holding my breath. The world narrowed to the weight of that object in my palm, heavier than any weapon I had ever ...