It looked exactly the same as the last time I had been in this coffee shop. I shouldn't be surprised. It wasn't like coffee shops did top to bottom renovations every few weeks. It was just that I felt like such a different person. That was the day I had been attacked in my last apartment and moved to Hale's place. My world had been completely upended, and yet, this looked like everything was just the same.

I ordered a coffee and sat at the same corner table, waiting for Nicky. I had ...