Chapter 9

"Roman!"

Sienna’s voice cracked as she burst through the pantry doors, sprinting back to Station Four as fast as her legs could carry her. She slammed the silver tray down onto the stainless-steel counter.

Roman looked up from wiping down his cutting board, his brow furrowing at the p

Chapter 10

The silence in the locker room was suffocating, heavy enough to crush the air from Sienna’s lungs. She stared at Roman, her mind violently rejecting the words he had just spoken.

"He can't do that," Sienna whispered, stepping toward him. "Roman, there are laws. There are grace periods

Chapter 11

The Gare du Nord train station was a cavernous, echoing cathedral of transient souls and cold drafts. Rain lashed against the towering glass skylights, casting fractured, distorted shadows across the polished concrete concourse. Sienna sat rigid on a freezing metal bench near Platform 4,