(Lena’s POV)

The city was quieter than usual when I stepped out of the cab. A pale, gray dawn stretched across the skyline, and for the first time in weeks, Manhattan Heights felt almost peaceful. But peace was an illusion. Beneath that calm sky, the storm hadn’t passed; it had only gone silent long enough to make me question what was real anymore.

I climbed the narrow stairwell to my apartment, every step echoing like a metronome of exhaustion. My key fumbled in the lock twice before it ...