Alina’s Pov

I hadn’t planned to leave the apartment that evening. After last night, after the bloody chain and Lucas showing up at my door, the world outside felt like something I wasn’t ready to face. But staying cooped up meant replaying everything in my head until it drove me insane.

So I went out.

The café on the other side of town always smells like vanilla syrup and burnt toast.” La Marie” that's the name on the signboard. It’s small, with scratched tables and a single ...