The city lay quiet beneath a soft dawn, the streets washed in pale gold light that seemed to promise new beginnings. From their penthouse terrace, Justina Ashes could see everything, every fire they had endured, every shadow they had faced, and every truth they had unearthed.

Carson Wills stood close behind her, the warmth of his body a tether she didn’t realize she had craved until now. “It’s a new day,” he murmured, voice low and steady, “and everything we’ve survived… it’s ...