Chapter 84

• MONIQUE
• I had been holed up in my apartment for the better part of the day. The doorbell had rung three times already since morning, but I refused to answer. I guessed it was probably Sophie, my overly cheery neighbor, either wanting to hang out or nosily question me about the guards stationed outside my door yesterday. She must have seen them. She notices everything. Maybe it was time to send them away before more neighbors started asking questions.
• With a sigh, I reluctantly told the guards to leave. It was probably for the best. Maybe it was time to move back to my old place anyway—the one that better suited my real identity. But I couldn't deny I'd miss the simplicity of this life. Living here had been an escape, a strange reprieve. I'd miss the mundane things, like having a nosy but harmless neighbor, doing laundry in the communal laundry room, and grocery shopping without a bodyguard tailing me. It was... almost normal. Almost.