Already seated on the plane, Zoe glanced out the window before takeoff and whispered softly,

“Hang in there, Doctor… I’ll be back before you know it.”

That same evening, Isabela savored a glass of expensive wine in her penthouse, the crystal reflecting the cold lights of the city. Her lipstick was flawless, her skin luminous, her expression calm — but her eyes burned with an old, festering hatred.

She swirled the wine slowly, as if setting the stage for something dark and deliberate. The phone