Chapter Four

Elena’s POV

I changed my routines the morning after the storm.

Earlier shifts. Different stairwell. Headphones the moment I left my door. The strategy felt clean in theory thin the chances of another charged silence, another unfinished gesture that left my body restless for hours. In practice the building refused to cooperate. A misdelivered package addressed to 3B appeared on my mat. Residual dampness from the earlier leak required a second check he had already offered to handle. When my car hesitated again in the underground bay, Roman was simply there, jumper cables in hand, calm as if the universe scheduled these failures for his convenience.

Each encounter...