CHAPTER 1: THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED
CHAPTER 1: THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED
The bullet was never meant for Lena Carter.
She didnât even know she was standing in the wrong place at the wrong timeâbecause for Lena, every place felt wrong lately.
Outside Marchelloâs Italian restaurant, the wind cut through Chicago like broken glass. Snow hit the pavement in sharp spirals, melting instantly against the neon lights flickering above the street.
Lena pulled her thin jacket tighter.
It didnât help.
Nothing helped anymore.
Her phone buzzed again in her pocketâanother reminder from the pharmacy:
âPrescription renewal overdue. Payment required: $487.00.â
She closed her eyes for a second.
That was more than her rent.
More than her savings.
More than she had left in the world.
Inside the restaurant, people laughed behind warm windows. Wine glasses clinked. Life continued like she didnât exist.
She was just waiting for a delivery orderâthree bags of food for tips that barely covered gas.
Then it happened.
A sound she would never forget.
Not loud at first.
Just sharp.
Clean.
Final.
A gunshot cracked through the cold air.
Time didnât slow downâit shattered.
Glass exploded behind her.
Someone screamed.
Lena turnedâ
Too late.
A man in a dark coat stumbled out of Marchelloâs back exit. Blood spread across his chest like ink in water. His eyes locked onto hers for a fraction of a second.
Confusion.
Then something worse.
Recognition.
He fell forward.
And Lenaâinstinctivelyâreached out.
That was the moment the second bullet came.
It wasnât aimed at her.
But she moved.
Just one step.
One wrong step.
The impact hit her shoulder like a burning hammer.
Everything went white.
Her knees collapsed into the snow.
She couldnât feel her arm anymore.
The world was noise, screaming, running footsteps, car tires screeching away into the night.
Above her, someone knelt down.
A voiceâdeep, controlled, terrifyingly calm:
âWhy did she move?â
Another voice answered:
âShe wasnât the target.â
Silence.
Thenâ
A phone vibrated in Lenaâs pocket.
She shouldnât have been able to hear it.
But she did.
The screen lit up through the blood and snow.
Unknown number.
One message.
âYou just changed your brotherâs fate.â
Her breath stopped.
Her brother.
Eli.
Pain exploded againâbut not in her body.
In her mind.
Because Eli was sick.
Because Eli was alone at home.
Because Eli had no idea what she had just stepped into.
Footsteps faded.
The world started to disappear.
But before everything went black, Lena saw something above her.
A man standing near the restaurant entrance.
Not running.
Not panicking.
Just watching.
Black coat.
Unmoving.
As if the bullet⊠had been expected.
May you like
And thenâ
Darkness.
