Vera

The hospital still smelled the same.

Clean. Sharp. Deceptively calm.

Vera stood at the edge of the parking structure, the early morning air cold against her skin, staring at the building that had once convinced her it was a place of healing.

She had walked into it broken.

She would not walk out that way again.

“This is a bad idea,” Nicolas said softly beside her.

“I know,” Vera replied.

That didn’t make it optional.

⸻

The Ground Rules

Neutral territory meant ...