Marceline stood by her window, arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the empty street beyond the glass. A sliver of sunlight stretched across the floor, slowly inching toward her feet like time taunting her. Her heart pulsed steadily, but her thoughts were in chaos—torn between dread and curiosity, fear and defiance. The day had begun quietly, too quietly for her liking. She hated waiting. Especially when it involved Cross.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, its screen lighting up with a name that made her breath hitch.

Cross.

She swallowed and picked it up, placing the phone to her ear.

“I’ll be there in a minute. Come down.”

That was...