A small shadow shifted in the moonlight, and he saw her—a woman adjusting her stance, leaning against the balcony railing.

He stepped forward, intending to greet Johari gently, yet he stopped in his tracks. She stood there, bent slightly, elbows resting on the cool metal. Her gaze drifted over the city, but the distant expression in her eyes revealed she wasn’t truly seeing it. Half her face was hidden from him, but the visible side spoke volumes: thoughtful, tense, a touch of frustration. Her