My legs walked on autopilot all the way to the café I frequented with Lina. The sun warmed my face on the cool winter day. It wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been in the mountains. The line at the café stretched out the door. I fidgeted with my new engagement ring while I waited. Amethyst. It felt heavy on my finger and slightly too large. I spun it around easily. This was my first time outside the apartment since Harry brought me home. The world felt too bright and too loud. Watching everyone act normally while I was screaming inside was excruciating. Lina was running late too.

  “Mia!” Will called as he ran over to me. I had just received my order and was about to sit down outside.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” he asked, hugging me. A huge grin spread across his face, and he lingered a bit too long for our cordial friendship. When the moment passed, we sat across from each other at the small café table.

  “I’m good, thanks,” I lied, smiling weakly. “How are you?”

  “I’m well. But Tremblay gave Taylor your spot on the Sackenberg case. You were right about Taylor, he’s a complete syncbot, I don’t think he’s ever had an original thought in his life. But I guess that’s the consequence of unregulated AI.”

  I laughed, surprising myself.

  “How long have you been back?” he continued. “I was starting to get worried. It’s been like, what? Six weeks? Derek told us you were at some kind of wellness retreat, but he wouldn’t say when you would be back.”

  “Yeah, sorry, I’ve just been so busy settling in. I moved in with Derek,” I said sheepishly.

  “Oh…” he said, surprised. “I bet Lina was pissed about that.”

  We laughed. “You’re not wrong. Which is why she’s meeting me here in a few minutes. I bought her favorite sappuccino, and I’m going to formally apologize.”

  “Well, good for you,” Will nodded. “And your health?”

  “Oh, speaking of errant AI and our concerning dependence on them…turns out—no cancer. MULLIS misdiagnosed me.”

  “But what about your fall?”

  “Clumsiness? I was wearing three-inch heels and hit my head hard enough to knock myself out. That seems more likely than having a rare cancer.”

  “That’s… wild,” he said slowly. We both knew it was a convenient truth. “So, you really don’t have cancer?”

  “I don’t have cancer.”

  “Then, that’s all that matters, Mia—” he grabbed my hands. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you with everything going on…” his voice broke off. He stroked his thumbs on the back of my fingers and suddenly noticed my ring. “Wh-what the hell is this?”

  “Oh right, uh, Derek proposed,” I said, pulling my hands back. Will looked flustered.

  “And you’ve said yes, apparently.”

  “We’ve been together five years, and it’s what we’ve always talked about. He’s actually been really patient. I know he’s been wanting to ask for a long time.”

  Will rubbed his hands over his face, floundering. For once, he was speechless. My stomach knotted.

  “I just don’t get it,” he said finally. “I know he’s good-looking and rich, but he’s part of the ViraRx royal family. Isn’t that a conflict of interest? Our firm has dozens of open cases against them, you know this.”

  “I’m not going back to GBLS.”

  Will looked as though I’d punched him in the gut. “What the hell is going on, Mia? Did Derek ship you off to some secret facility for brainwashing? You sound like a zombie bride.”

  “Oh, now, that’s a tad dramatic, don’t you think?” but not far off from reality, I thought bitterly.

  “Mia, ViraRx will be complicit in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of deaths worldwide. You know it!” He was visibly angry now. Betrayed. I thought of the diamond drive Mom had given me. Technically, they were already complicit, but…

  “Only because of government stonewalling and bureaucratic red tape, not to mention unreasonable regulations from lawmakers who know nothing about science or medicine!” I shot back.

  “Are you really going to try and justify it?” He scoffed. “You can’t be serious, Mia. If these acquisitions go through unchecked, ViraRx will influence every aspect of our lives—from what we watch and read to what we eat and the air we breathe. And if the governors sign this bill? They are signing away our freedom. There’s no path back from that. The world will be unrecognizable to what we know now—what we grew up in.”

  “Look around, Will.” I forced Derek’s words through my mouth, cumbersome on my tongue. “Our world is literally on fire. Climate change is accelerating faster than any model predicted. How many will die from drought or famine in the coming months? How many from the unchecked spread of curable diseases? Our infrastructure is collapsing. The Northeast Kingdom is already turning away climate migrants. If society doesn’t make big changes soon, we won’t have a world to save.”

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  “And ViraRx is the answer?” He shook his head, indignant. “God, I don’t understand why women always pass over nice guys for creeps like that. I thought you were smarter than this. I was sure once you figured out he wasn’t worth saving, you’d realize I’ve been here the whole time.”

  “I thought we were friends.”

  “Don’t do that. Don’t play dumb. I have always gone above and beyond for you. Remember, I was the one who held you when he made you cry? I’m the one who stayed up all night helping you study before tests. I’m the one who convinced you to get treatment when you had cancer—”

  “—wait, you knew about the treatment?” I cut in. His anger glitched, realizing he said too much.

  “Well, Derek said you were reluctant to get treatment, so I—”

  “—knew exactly which wires to cut.” God, I am dumb.

  “To stop you from self-destructing—yes!” His chest heaved with renewed fury. “He will never love you the way I do!”

  I nodded real slow, taking a long measured look at him before responding,

  “If you’re only being nice to get something out of it, that’s not love—it’s entitlement.”

  I kept my composure as I watched his completely dissolve. He stood up, his metal chair scraping against the cement, sputtering nonsensically before he could get the next words out.

  “So he’s filled you with his malware. Got it,” he said, spitting vitriol. “He can have you then.”

  He stomped off. I guess I can put you down as a ‘no’ on the guest list.

  I put my head in my hands and stared at the marbling on the stone table. Will’s friendship had always been important to me. Our values had aligned perfectly. I felt that he understood me in a way no one else in my life could. I couldn’t believe I’d been blind to his manipulation. At least with Derek, I’d come to expect it.

  I sighed with regret. It was probably better this way. The further from me Will was, the safer he’d be.

  “Do I ask?” Lina sat down across from me. “I only caught the end of the show.”

  “It’s really good to see you,” I said weakly. “Peace offering?”

  I placed the maple sappuccino in front of her. She grabbed my hand as I was pulling it away and squealed. I couldn’t help smiling at her excitement.

  “He proposed!? Of course he did. Ah, that’s what Will was angry about. So that’s where you’ve been? Trying to stay off the tabloids, I assume.” She took a pause to sip. I told her the wellness retreat story and shared my misdiagnosis. She seemed convinced and even agreed to be my maid of honor. Lying to Lina left me feeling empty inside. I’d never had to directly lie to her before. I was truly alone now.

  I left Lina at the café, promising to call later, so I could make it to the hospital just in time for my four o’clock appointment. The unfamiliar lobby was filled with paisley-covered chairs and lots of natural light. I approached the oncology desk, where a young, slim administrative assistant with short, straight black hair sat. Her eyes were red and watery.

  “Hi, I’m Mia Alden. I’m here for my appointment with Dr. Tran.”

  “I’m sorry... Dr. Tran died this afternoon in an accident crossing the Fastway,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “No, I just talked to her a few hours ago…”

  “I know, I haven’t even had time to move her appointments… I guess I can reschedule you with Dr. Wilcox.”

  “No… thank you. I’ll call again another time,” I said, anxiety replaced with dread. I left, compulsively looking over my shoulder. On the train ride back home, my mind was racing. Is it really a coincidence she had an accident the same day she asked me to come for tests? Could Julius be tying up loose ends? No, he wouldn’t, what would be the point?… but I wasn’t sure what he was capable of, and that scared me. I didn’t know Dr. Tran well, but she had been kind to me. She didn’t deserve whatever happened to her.

  Back at Derek’s, I thought of the jewelry box, and the glittering diamond holding my insurance policy. It wasn’t too late. Maybe the trial records were lost and those deaths considered accidental, but if the vaccine data were released, ViraRx would have trouble explaining why they withheld it.

  Would it be enough to stop their mergers? Then again, I might end up next to Dr. Tran. Could Julius really be so callous?

  …he was willing to sacrifice a bunch of people to cure cancer…but with cancer the leading cause of death worldwide, how many lives would that save?

  We were going to die anyway, at least this way, each death had meaning...

  After all, I’m the one who nearly leaked a bioweapon and got people killed. Julius only ever tried to save my life.

  I leaned against the balcony railing with my face pressed to the glass like a child at an aquarium.

  “Hello, Mia.”

  Julius’s voice startled me from behind. I turned to face him, arms crossed protectively.

  “Hello, Julius.”

  “Yes, well… I suppose we can drop formality now that you’re joining the family,” he said smugly, tucking his hands in his pockets. “The Isle de Haut is an interesting choice for your honeymoon, given its history. Not exactly known for tourism.”

  “Did you kill Dr. Tran?” I asked bluntly, diverting his attention.

  “Who?” He looked genuinely confused. Damn, he’s convincing.

  I snorted, rolling my eyes. “Then why are you here?”

  His smile widened. “I wanted to deliver these in person.”

  He stepped closer, waving his wrist over mine. His subdermal implant glowed faintly beneath his skin, and the file opened automatically on my watch.

  “You’re offering me a job?”

  “As we discussed. I meant what I said before—you have remarkable potential. And, of course, per the contract you signed for your treatment, you still owe us. It’s only natural that your skills should be put to meaningful use.”

  He squared his shoulders, blocking the light. I pressed my body back against the railing as he leaned forward, resting one arm beside me, his body closing in on mine. My skin crawled from the proximity.

  “It’s so much less complicated this way.” His voice was low and even. “Any other employer would want access to your medical record. The whole… fiasco of your misdiagnosis could come out. Enough people have suffered on your behalf, don’t you agree?”

  “So if I sign this…”

  “You’ll be absolved of your debts,” he said. “All of them.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek, looking down. He wasn’t just talking about money.

  I met his eyes as he tucked my hair behind my ear. I turned away, but his fingers followed, tracing the line of my neck until they rested at the base of my spine, just above my hips. I braced against the railing made slick from the sweat of my palms. My breath quickened against my will, pulling his sour, chemical scent into me. My legs betrayed me, trembling with repulsion and fear.

  He bent closer, deliberately tensing his jaw against my temple while deeply breathing in my hair. Disgust clenched my jaw as I tried to stop the quivers.

  “Even fallen angels can find grace again,” he murmured, “if they repent hard enough. But you’ll need to convince me you mean it.”