VANESSA
After the tense encounter with Roman in the lobby, my brother and I silently rode the hotel elevator to our floor. The weight of the past settled between us, neither of us eager to break the fragile quiet.
When the doors slid open, Leo finally spoke. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," I said automatically, then caught myself. "Actually, no. I'm not fine. But I will be."
We walked down the hallway, our footsteps muffled by the plush carpet.
"You want to talk about it?" Leo asked, stopping at his door.
I leaned against the wall and sighed. "What's there to talk about? He knows I'm alive. He knows about Fabian. Everything I've built over the last six years is about to get very complicated."
Leo struggled with his key card, swiping it repeatedly with growing frustration. "Damn thing never works right."
"Here, let me," I said, taking the card from him. I slid it smoothly into the slot, and the light instantly turned green.
"How did you do that?" Leo asked, genuinely perplexed.
