Chapter 237

The evening had settled over the city like a warm blanket, its streets alive with the pulse of a day coming to an end.

People moved in steady streams, their faces tired but determined, eager to return home after a long day at work. The sidewalks were packed, a constant shuffle of shoes hitting the pavement, while cars honked and idled in the late rush hour traffic.

Their headlights flickered as they crawled through the streets, reflecting off wet patches from an earlier drizzle, casting shimmering streaks of light that danced along the road.

Across the street, a small diner sat at the corner, its neon sign flickering in hues of red and blue. The light it cast was warm and inviting, a beacon for those looking for a quick meal before they called it a night.

The diner wasn’t anything fancy, but it had its own charm—a kind of cozy familiarity that brought people in again and again. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of sizzling grease, coffee brewing, and freshly baked bread.

Th