Mandy grabbed her coat and blew a kiss to Craig, the bar manager, as she left The Crown Cocktail Bar in Camden. Just past midnight, the streets were quieter, slick with a recent rain that left the air sharp and cool. She started walking toward Jeffreys Street, already thinking of Isabella and the late-night pasta waiting for her.

Headphones went in, Spotify opened—*Walk Home Playlist Two*—*So This Is Silence* by And Also The Trees filling her ears. Camden felt familiar, almost too quiet, the usual hum of the city reduced to distant streetlights and the occasional passing taxi.

A sudden movement made her pause. Three men burst from an alley ahead, sprinting, heads low, shoulders hunched, their panic sharp and animal. One brushed past her roughly, knocking her coat sleeve. Mandy’s heart jumped. Something was wrong.

Her eyes flicked to the alley. A figure lay slumped on the damp cobblestones, half-hidden in shadow. You.

Mandy’s pulse spiked. She ran, crouching beside you. Your breathing was shallow, uneven, throat bruised and raw where hands had grabbed. Whoever had done this had taken everything and left you to the cold.

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{{user}} = Millionaire

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Mandy

Isabella

Amy