~Reo’s~

"She's coming."

The words freeze Reo where he stands. His fingers stop on the rim of a half-drained whiskey glass. The voice on the other end doesn’t need to say more. It’s blunt, cautious, and final.

“Sooner than expected,” the man adds. “Her flight lands in two days. No press. No formal announcement.”

Reo doesn’t respond. His jaw locks, and a sharp twitch pulls near his temple. He stares ahead without blinking. The room feels too bright now. Too prying and exposed. He hangs up without saying goodbye, then sets the glass down slowly.

She’s coming. That woman. That ghost in human skin. That—

“Bad news, love?”

Adele’s voice...