Rain poured relentlessly.
Rihan stepped out only after the worst of his headache finally dulled to a manageable throb. The air was cold, heavy, and quiet in a way that made the absence of Taeryn feel louder than any noise ever could.
He ducked into a small supermarket for shelter, bought an umbrella, and lingered longer than necessary beneath the harsh fluorescent lights. Standing there alone felt… strange.
It had only been a month.
And yet it felt like he'd known Taeryn for years.
The realization unsettled him.
He paid for the umbrella, offered the cashier a polite nod when she smiled at him, and stepped back into the rain. The umbrella opened with a soft snap, the sound swallowed immediately by the downpour.
The case was over. Officially, at least.
Every living victim of the Cullers had surfaced in the news. Every doctor involved had been reported dead. Minjae had sent message after message. He was relieved, grateful, definitely suspicious about how everything had ended.
