Across the city, Sarah stood in the weapons research wing of Sterling Corporation, reviewing the latest production data on her tablet. The military clients had moved up their delivery timeline by three weeks, and the mercenary organizations were pressuring for early shipment of the newest batch of modified assault systems. Every number on the screen traced back to Kevin's work, his calculations, his parameters, his engineering brilliance hidden inside the company's infrastructure like a skeleton inside a body.She didn't know that. Had never known it. Had never thought to ask how Sterling Corporation's weapons division had gone from mediocre to industry leading in the span of three years.The office door swung open without a knock.Jasper walked in carrying two cups of coffee, one in each hand, his smile gentle and apologetic. He still moved carefully, one hand occasionally pressing against his abdomen, but his color had improved and his eyes were bright and alert."Why are you still

Sarah told herself Kevin would understand. He always did. He'd be angry for a while, cold and distant for a day or two, and then he'd come around because that's what Kevin did. He forgave. He waited. He loved her enough to swallow his pride and pretend everything was fine, and eventually it would be fine again. It always was.She repeated this to herself the entire drive to Jasper's apartment, gripping the steering wheel with hands that wouldn't stop shaking. The guilt sat heavy in her stomach like a stone she couldn't digest, but the concern for Jasper was louder, more immediate, more urgent. Burns from an exploding microwave could be serious. He could be in real pain right now, alone and scared, and she couldn't just sit there eating pasta while someone she cared about was suffering.She pulled up to Jasper's building in the Brera district. The windows were completely dark. No lights, no movement, nothing. The building looked abandoned.Sarah's pulse quickened as she let herself

Sarah's face went white as paper.The photos on her phone screen told the whole story in vivid color. Jasper standing behind a birthday cake, grinning, healthy, not a single mark on his body. Children in wheelchairs surrounding him, laughing. Streamers and balloons and party hats. A celebration that had nothing to do with exploding microwaves or emergency burns or any of the lies that had dragged her away from her husband on their birthday.Kevin looked at the screen over her shoulder and let out a laugh that was more bitter than anything she'd ever heard leave his mouth."Interesting injuries." His voice was ice wrapped in razors. "He looks perfectly fine to me. Not a scratch, not a burn, not even a red mark. Must be a miracle recovery. Or maybe, just maybe, there was never anything wrong with him in the first place."Sarah's mouth opened but nothing came out. She stared at the photos like they were written in a language she'd forgotten how to read."You left our birthday dinner bec

Kevin ran through the streets of Milano with no destination in mind. Just movement. Just the slap of his shoes against wet cobblestones and the cold night wind cutting across his face, trying to carve out the anger and the hurt lodged somewhere deep behind his ribs.It wasn't working.Sarah's face at the restaurant kept flashing behind his eyes. The way she'd signed the divorce papers without reading them. The way she'd grabbed her coat and walked out like he was a minor inconvenience standing between her and the only person who actually mattered.He'd given her every chance. Every single one. And she'd thrown them all away for a man who faked injuries the way other people faked smiles.The anger sat in his chest like a hot coal with nowhere to go.A figure burst from the alley to his left.A woman, wrapped head to toe in black cloth, moving fast and silent across the cobblestones. Even with her body concealed, Kevin could tell from the way she moved that she was trained. The kind of f

Kevin wasn't worried about the men from the alley. People like them were rats that only dared to move in the dark. The moment sunlight touched them, they'd scatter back into whatever hole they crawled out of.The apartment was dark when he let himself in past midnight. Sarah was sitting on the sofa in the living room, her eyes red and swollen, surrounded by the mess she'd made earlier when she'd dumped his suitcase on the floor. His clothes were still scattered across the carpet. The overturned bag lay on its side like a wounded animal.She stood up the moment he walked in."Kevin, please. Can we stop this?" Her voice was raw from crying, hoarse and small. "We love each other. We still love each other. Can't we just stop fighting and figure this out?"Kevin looked at her for a long moment. The anger from the street fight had burned off some of the poison in his blood, but underneath it the pain was still there, dull and constant, like a wound that refused to close."Fine," he said qui