Chapter 5

The rain had been falling over the city since six in the morning, a steady, gray drizzle that smeared the skyline outside Seraphina's bedroom window.

She woke up without an alarm. She woke up to absolute silence.

For five years, her mornings had been an exercise in self-effacement. Creeping downstairs before dawn, brewing Dashiell's dark roast, measuring Leo's morning vitamins, and making sure a hot breakfast was set on the mahogany table before anyone else opened their eyes.

Today, she made a simple cup of chamomile tea, put on a dark charcoal wool coat over a cream silk blouse, and…