The rain had just stopped, leaving the streets glistening and wet. Vania drove slowly, her mind still tangled in fragments of plans with Devandra—how to confront Mrs. Rika, the possibility of her father’s involvement, and the question of who she could actually trust.

Then suddenly, the steering wheel began to shake strangely. A dull thud-thud-thud came from the left side of the car. She slowed down, pulled over to the side of the road, and stopped the engine.

When she stepped out, the cold afternoon air greeted her. The front left tire was almost completely flat.

“Perfect,” she muttered bitterly. “As if I don’t already have enough problems.”

She opened...