Chapter 335: Thursday. Sibky Park, Damascus, Syria.

VARA STROLLED ALONG THE gravel boulevard leading toward the reflecting pool. The last summer blooms perfumed the air. The horizon was highlighted, heralding the new day. People hustled home or to work from the pre-dawn prayer, consumed with the day to come.

That was why Vara liked this time of day. People didn't pay her much mind. She was just another figure in the rush.

Only this morning she wasn't.

Tension knotted her shoulders.

She'd slept, but only in fits. Memories kept waking her. Stolen moments with Alec at the embassy. Highlights of their trip.

There'd been years since their fling, and yet Vara's body remembered his touch as though they'd been together last week or last month.

It wasn't fair. But she couldn't choose who she fell in love with. She just had to deal with it.