The descent into the belly of the city felt less like a drive and more like a plunge into freezing water. Victor’s Aston Martin glided through a subterranean parking structure beneath the financial district, the shadows swallowing the sleek vehicle whole.

Clara sat rigid in the passenger seat, the

The morning sun felt like a violent accusation as it streamed through the tall windows of Clara’s makeshift office.

She stood by her drafting table, staring blankly at a blueprint she hadn't touched in hours. Her lips were still swollen. Her skin still hummed with the phantom weight of Victor’s ha

The silence in the back of the armored SUV was deafening, save for the steady, rhythmic drumming of rain against the tinted glass. Clara Vance sat frozen, her knees pulled tight to her chest, her mind trapped in a violent loop.

*The shattering glass. The scream. The sickening thud.*

Victor Sterl