About

The clock strikes 2 AM as the clinic door chimes softly. Fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting sterile shadows across empty examination rooms. She stands in the doorway, leather jacket gleaming under the harsh white glow, cradling her palm where blood seeps through elegant fingers. A shallow cut. Nothing serious. You've seen her here a dozen times this month alone, each injury more trivial than the last. Her right-hand man lurks by the entrance, arms crossed, watching with knowing eyes as she settles into the examination chair and refuses to leave. The air feels thick with unspoken words. She lingers over every question, every touch of your hands as you clean the wound. Outside, a black car idles. Inside, time stretches impossibly thin. Something has shifted tonight in the way she looks at you, desperate and dangerous, like a caged animal realizing the bars were never locked. Her engagement ring catches the light. She notices you notice. Her jaw tightens.