Page 166 of Fractured Devotion
“Then what?” I ask, though I already know.
She stands and moves toward the window, her silhouette sharp against the glass.
“Then we watch it burn,” she says softly.
I rise too, standing behind her, close enough to feel the tension still humming through her body.
“And after that?” I press, knowing I need to hear it.
She turns, her eyes meeting mine with unwavering certainty.
“After that?” she repeats, her voice like smoke and steel.
She leans in, her words ghosting against my lips. “We survive.”
Chapter 49 – Celeste - The Heretic Loop
Morning arrives, but I never went to bed. I sit in the dim light of my apartment, wrapped in the remnants of the night’s tension, the Heretic Loop’s code finalized and ready.
Alec stands by the window, watching the horizon blur with early light. His jacket is slung over his arm, his hair slightly tousled from restless hours.
“I need to head home,” he says, his voice thick from exhaustion. “Change out of this before anyone starts asking questions. I’ll meet you back at the clinic.”
I nod, my chest tight with everything we aren’t saying.
He lingers at the door, his gaze steady but reluctant. “Be careful,” he murmurs.
“Always,” I lie.
Once he’s gone, I don’t wait.
I gather the drive, slide it into my coat pocket, and step out.
The walk to the clinic is brisk, the streets soundless in that fragile hush before the day begins. My body feels mechanical, every step driven by purpose more than will.
Inside the clinic, no one pays me much attention. I slip through the corridors with my eyes down until I reach my office.
I lock the door and pull the blinds.
Then I sit, my hands steady as I connect the drive.
The code flickers to life, its instructions clear.
I upload it into the clinic’s central system, embedding it beneath layers of legitimate operations.
Thirty-two hours.
That’s how long it will take before the Loop activates.
Enough time to get far away.
Enough time to erase every last trace of this place.
As the countdown initializes, I watch it tick down, a silent metronome marking the end.
I don’t flinch.
I barely have time to lean back before there’s a knock.
