CHAPTER 78

I never thought an invitation from a complete stranger could make my pulse race like this. It was a cold, damp evening, and as I sat alone in my cramped apartment, my phone buzzed with a message I wasn't expecting. "Meet me where shadows whisper and secrets die. Midnight. Come alone." The sender was anonymous, and the tone was both cryptic and foreboding. I stared at the screen for a long minute, my mind racing with possibilities. Could this be a setup? Or was it the lead I'd been waiting for?

I decided to take the risk. After all, playing it safe had gotten me nowhere these past months. I grabbed my coat, shoved my phone in my pocket, and stepped out into the chilly night. The streets were nearly empty, the only sounds the distant hum of traffic and my own footsteps echoing on the wet pavement. My breath fogged in the cold air as I hurried toward the abandoned warehouse district—a place known for its eerie silence and hidden corners.