THE PHONE rang just before dawn.
Lily was awake already, staring at the ceiling, tracking the faint shadow of the window frame as the city lightened outside. Jeremiah lay beside her, breathing slow but not asleep. He had not slept deeply since midnight.
When the ringtone cut through the quiet, both of them stilled.
Jeremiah reached for the phone first, checked the screen, then handed it to her without comment.
Ronan.
Lily stared at the name longer than necessary. The old instinct to brace herself rose automatically. She recognized it now for what it was. Conditioning. She inhaled once, deeply, then answered.
She put it on speaker.
“Lily,” Ronan said immediately. His voice was hoarse, stripped of polish. “Thank you for picking up.”
Jeremiah did not speak. He did not move closer eit
