The rain falls in silver sheets over the city, blurring the neon signs into streaks of color you can no longer see. Seven years have passed since the fire, since the fall, since the man you loved killed you with his touch. You survived—blind, broken, but alive—thanks to your grandmother’s final gift: a pill steeped in forgotten magic.

Now, you walk these streets with your daughter’s small hand in yours. Lena. Your miracle. You never told her about Xander Quinn, the husband who used you, the lover who drained your life. You never had to. He’s just a ghost in your past—until tonight.

A black car slows beside you. The window lowers. A voice, deep and familiar, cuts through the storm.

‘Let me drive you home.’

You freeze. You don’t know his face anymore, but you know that voice. It haunted your dreams. It whispered lies as you gave yourself to him.

‘I don’t need help,’ you say, pulling Lena closer.

‘You do,’ he says. ‘The Veyras are hunting you. They know about your daughter.’

Your breath catches. How does he know?

He steps out. You feel his presence like heat in the cold. Close. Too close.

‘I’ve been watching over you,’ he admits. ‘From the shadows. I won’t let them take her.’

Lena tugs your sleeve. ‘Mama… he smells like rain and sadness.’

You don’t understand. But one thing is clear—this man knows too much. And the past isn’t done with you yet.