Vanessa's POV

The phone screen went dark, and for a long moment, Vanessa didn’t move.

The faint hum of the city filled the silence, from the traffic far below, to the distant echo of sirens, life continuing as if nothing had just shifted. But everything had.

She sat by the wide window of the penthouse, wrapped in a champagne coloured silk robe, with one leg curled beneath her, the other stretched toward the light. The glass before her caught her reflection, perfect skin, tired eyes, lips ...