The silence in the DUMBO loft wasn't peaceful.
It wasn't the kind of quiet that came after a long day of work, or the gentle stillness of a city finally resting.
No.
This silence was heavy.
Oppressive.
The kind that pressed against your lungs until breathing itself felt like a mistake.
It was the silence that came right before something broke.
I stood in the center of the café, unmoving, my fingers curled tightly at my sides as I stared at the dead laptop screen. But I wasn't really seeing it.
I was seeing her.
Adriana.
Her eyes.
That impossible, glowing blue.
Not human.
Not my sister.
A machine wearing her face.
A cold, digital imprint burned itself into my mind, looping again and again like a corrupted file.
She's gone.
The thought hit me like a physical blow.
"She's not gone."
The voice came from across the room.
Reid.
I turned slowly.
