The cab rattled along the uneven road, each bump barely registering against the storm brewing inside Aaina.

She sat rigidly in her seat, arms wrapped around the file pressed tight to her chest like it was the only thing anchoring her to the present. Her eyes were locked on the window, watching the city blur of buildings passing by the window. Her jaw was clenched, not just with tension, but with the weight of everything she was trying not to feel.