The four of them stood at the edge of the rooftop, the city sprawling below in a glittering sea of diamonds. The night air was cool against Andrea’s skin, carrying the faint hum of traffic and the distant echo of laughter from the party inside. For the first time all evening, the tension had thinned into something lighte-easy laughter, teasing, the kind of camaraderie that only comes after surviving chaos together.

Marcus was grinning like he’d just won the lottery, one arm draped loosely around Mindy’s shoulders. She leaned into him without thinking, her bracelets catching the rooftop lights as she gestured animatedly. Henry’s hand rested at the small of...