CASSANDRA'S POV~
My bones ached.
It wasn’t the kind of ache that begged for a massage or a warm bath. No—this was deeper. Like they’d turned to stone inside me. My fingers trembled slightly as they clicked away at the keyboard.
I hadn’t even realized the sun had dipped until I stared out the glass panel to the side and saw nothing but the slow bleeding of dusk swallowing the city. Somewhere down the corridor, machines were powering down with final hums. Footsteps had grown faint. A few colleagues had peeked into the lab to grab their bags or folders, giving me pitiful smiles and lazy goodbyes before disappearing.
I was the only one left.
Dario had left hours ago—he’d tapped the table beside me with two fingers, said something about dinner and rest, but I hadn’t looked up. Not properly
