Allison's POV.

I pulled my hoodie down further, the cold wind biting at my cheeks as I walked briskly down the sidewalk. The city was alive with noise—the hum of traffic, the distant chatter of people, the occasional horn blaring from impatient drivers. I kept my head down, focusing on the cracked pavement beneath my boots. Just another day blending in, hiding in plain sight. That was the life I had chosen, or rather, the life that had been forced upon me.

But then, through the thick fabric of my hoodie, I felt it. That inexplicable sense of being watched. It wasn’t just paranoia—I knew this feeling too well. My...