The streets of the city were slick with rain, reflecting neon lights like fractured mirrors. It was the kind of night that made secrets feel heavier, as if the shadows themselves were pressing down on anyone foolish enough to stand in them.

Justina paced the penthouse, the documents from her mother’s inheritance spread across the marble table. Every page was a reminder: fire left more than ashes, it left questions. And tonight, one question loomed larger than all the others.

Carson had gone ...