HERMIONE
The sun is beginning to set, casting gold-tinted shadows over the penthouse windows. Dylan stands with his back to me, phone pressed to his ear, posture tense. I sit on the edge of the bed, still wrapped in my robe, fresh from a long shower meant to scrub away more than just the day. But my thoughts are still restless.
"Yes, do it quietly," Dylan says, voice low but sharp. "I want surveillance on the address by midnight. And I want Adrian to personally vet anyone associated with her after 2015. Niah might not be working alone."
Niah.
Even the sound of her name sends a cold shiver up my spine. That girl, that stranger who was almost me. I can't shake the image of what life would have looked like if things had gone differently. If my biological mother hadn't been standing at the gates of that orphanage. If she'd died alone. If Nana had never told me the truth.
Dylan ends the call and turns to face me. His eyes soften the moment he sees me, as if I anchor him the same way he anchors me.
"You should be resting," he says, walking toward me.
"I'm not tired." I look up. "You think it's her, don't you?"
He crouches in front of me, his hands resting gently on my knees. "I think someone who knew both your story and the orphanage's is playing a dangerous game. And yes, her name keeps coming up. But we don't have enough yet."
I nod slowly. "She must hate me."
"You didn't take anything from her, Hermione. You were a baby."
"But her parents never came back. Mine did. What if she thinks I stole the life that should've been hers?"
His grip tightens. "You didn't steal anything. You survived. And you were loved. There's a difference."
I lean forward until our foreheads touch. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"That if she comes for me again, if she tries to hurt anyone I love... you won't go dark. You won't become the man you were trying to leave behind."
He closes his eyes. A long breath escapes him. "I can't promise I won't protect you with everything I have. But I promise I won't lose myself. Not when you're the one who found me."
We sit like that for a while, just breathing. Just existing.
Then he murmurs, "We need to go back to Nigeria."
I pull away, startled. "What? Why?"
"There's someone Adrian tracked down. A woman who used to work at the orphanage. She was there the day your mother gave birth. She's the only one left who might be able to confirm whether Niah was there that day… and what she saw."
I wrap my arms around my torso. "You think she witnessed something?"
"I think it's time we find out."
He stands, offering his hand. "Will you come with me?"
I place my hand in his, heart racing. "Always."