Veronica stood on the patio, her slender fingers delicately holding a cigarette, the embers glowing bright against the darkening sky. She inhaled deeply, savoring the burn as the nicotine seeped into her veins, dulling the edge of the simmering resentment she had nursed over the past few days. The city below was alive, its usual chaotic energy seeming almost subdued at this late hour. The distant sound of traffic and murmured conversations drifted up to her, a familiar lullaby she had come to know all too well during these long, lonely nights.

She heard the soft creak of the front gate, followed by the steady, confident footsteps she knew so well. Without turning around, she smirked, her lips curling into a sardonic smile.

“And here I was thinking I’d have to start planning your funeral. So, what’s the story this time? A business deal gone wrong?”

She took another drag from her cigarette, her gaze steady, unflinching, waiting for him to give her the excuse she knew was coming.