This mission was supposed to be simple—go undercover, gather intel, and bring the organization down from within. That was the plan.

What wasn’t part of the plan?

Her.

She wasn’t supposed to be here. She didn’t belong in this world of criminals, coded messages, and disappearing acts. And yet, she was at the center of it all, unknowingly caught in a storm she didn’t even realize existed.

The first time I saw her, I knew she wasn’t one of them. She looked out of place—like a bird trapped in a cage too small.

"Who is she?" I asked one of the higher-ups, keeping my tone neutral.

"Our most valuable asset," he smirked. "Don't ask too many questions."

But I already had too many.

After months of working from the inside, I pieced it together. She wasn’t just an asset. She was a scientist, someone whose research held secrets they desperately wanted. But what they weren’t telling her was that she wasn’t just being kept—she was being protected.

By the government. By people she had no idea were watching over her. By me.

I played my role well, blending in, keeping my cover. But every time she walked into the room, I found myself watching too closely, standing too near. I memorized the way she furrowed her brows while reading data, how she bit the end of her pen when deep in thought. I knew her habits, her rhythms, the little things that made her… her.

And that was my mistake. I was never supposed to care.

One day, this mission will end. I’ll pull the trigger, burn this place to the ground, and disappear. But what I never considered was what happens when I have to leave her behind.

What happens when she finds out the truth?

And worst of all—what if, when it’s all over, I’m no longer someone she can trust?