The summer night carried a coolness that clung to the air.

Francesca stood silently on the rooftop, a delicate figure in her thin jacket. Between her pale fingers rested a slender ladies’ cigarette, though she made no move to smoke it. It burned idly, its glow ebbing with the occasional drizzle.

The fine mist of rain dimmed the cigarette's ember, extinguishing it completely.

She didn’t seem to care.

With an unfazed gesture, she placed ...