Chapter 23: Hope

Aurora didn't sleep that night.

Her handler's message glowed on the screen like a beacon, pulling her back into the shadows she'd once embraced so completely. New assignment. High priority. Those words meant danger, precision, and no room for failure. They also meant she didn't have time to wallow in indecision.

But something was different this time.

Aurora sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the knife she'd tucked under her pillow, a habit born from years of paranoia. She used to feel comforted by its presence, but now it only served as a reminder of what she was trying to escape.

Her handler had always trusted her to be reliable, detached, and efficient. That trust wasn't easy to come by, and Aurora had never questioned her loyalty, until now.

With trembling hands, she typed a reply:

Send the details.