The day after Haven’s grand opening dawned with a hush that felt almost sacred. The city was awake, of course it always was but inside the Hawthornes’ apartment, everything moved slower. The kind of slow that didn’t mean laziness; it meant peace earned the hard way.

Violet stood by the window in her robe, coffee mug in hand, watching the skyline dissolve into morning light. The rain had stopped sometime during the night, leaving everything slick and reflective. Buildings glittered like they’d been freshly washed of their exhaustion. Somewhere below, horns blared, people shouted, life went on.

Bryan appeared behind her, hair still damp from the shower, shirt unbuttoned halfway....