Chapter One: The Old Routine My name is Andrei Popescu, and for over a decade, I’ve walked these corridors as an airport security officer. Every shift began the same way: […]
Emily Clark had always envisioned a life that extended far beyond the confines of her small hometown. Her dreams felt like a heavy presence, always there, particularly in a home […]
Laura Bennett had always thought it was important to find a way to juggle her busy career while also enjoying a rich personal life. In her role as a consultant […]
Prologue: Dawn Before the Storm In the wan light of early morning, as pale rays crept over the horizon and painted the nursery walls in whisper-soft hues of rose and […]
I. Prologue: The Silent Siege At dawn’s first light, when the rosy fingers of Aurora still danced across the eastern sky, I strode toward my garden with clenched jaw and […]
Prologue: The Whirl of DutyOn a storm-lashed eve when thunderclouds roamed the sky like hostile legions, I handed my father’s trembling hand to the attendants of the carehouse and watched […]
The Sentinel in the Mire With a sudden lurch, their carriage came to a halt. On the rain-slicked road sat a solitary dog, its coat the color of burnished bronze, […]
Prologue: The Hunger of Providentia In the waning days of autumn’s grace, when the winds that swept the Via Nova bore the scent of fallen chestnuts and distant smoke, I, […]
Prologue: The Mystery of the Vanished Denarii In the days when our household on the Palatine Hill was accustomed to placid routines and the steady clink of bronze struck true, […]
Prologue: A Mother’s Vigil by the Sea In the waning light of Floralia’s final hour, I, Julia Aemilia, stood at the threshold of our modest villa overlooking Bar Harbor’s restless […]