Rachel wiped down the gun in her hands, her words tinged with hesitation.

"Are you sure about this? You've already taken one, and it made you forget some things. If you take a second one, you'll lose everything. I can set you up with a new, legitimate identity in another city, just like you asked, but are you ready to let go of everything in Greenfield?"

Zoey was weak, a shadow of her former self. Rachel had secretly arranged for her to be brought to this safe house. The break-in at Zoey's place had been a real shock; when the intruder came, it triggered Zoey's labor. Then the fire started, and almost by instinct, she had her baby whisked away first, never really wanting to escape herself.

During the months in jail and the following half-year spent in this hideaway, she'd lost the plot of her life.

Revenge on Fitch? What was the point? It was all her own doing.

Face Maja again? What face did she have left to show?

The company had plenty of talent; they wouldn't miss a beat without Zoey. In a few years, her name would be wiped clean, and no one would come to save her.

That's what she thought, but Rachel's people had saved her.

She'd met Rachel after getting locked up. Rachel was a star at the police department, and if not for getting tangled up in Bernard March's mess, she would have kept climbing the ranks. Now, she was stuck doing risky fieldwork.

Bernard was a piece of work, but he'd genuinely supported Rachel's education and left her a little something after his death.

Sometimes, a person can be rotten to the world but kind to you, and you have to acknowledge that kindness.

In Rachel's eyes, Bernard had always been a shining example, a beacon for her future, even if he'd ended up in trouble. She'd never speak ill of him.

Zoey had burns, but Bernard's legacy had included a miraculous salve that saved her skin.

Rachel had another drug, two doses of which could erase a person's memories.

Zoey had already taken one; she'd forgotten the birth of her child. If she took another, Greenfield and all it entailed would fade away.

Rachel, woman to woman, felt compassion, which is why she'd pulled strings to get Zoey to this place, to give her time to think it through.

Zoey closed her eyes, her voice raspy.

"Give it here. A fresh start might be good. Maybe it'll show me what it means to be alive."

Seeing no hesitation, Rachel handed over the pill.

"You make the call, Zoey. I can't say if it's the right choice, but when you're lost, a fresh start might just be the thing. Maybe you'll find a reason to live. All the best." Zoey looked at the tiny pill in her hand, trying to muster a smile, but it wouldn't come.

Her heart felt barren, devoid of any desire for rebirth.

She had never been one to fight life.

Without a second thought, she swallowed the pill and gave her final instructions to Rachel.

"Don't tell anyone about me. In their minds, I'm already dead. Why disturb them again?"

"Understood."

"Rachel, thanks. Once I have that new identity, you don't need to keep tabs on me. Let nature take its course. If fate is real, I'll accept it."

Rachel, clad in a black jumpsuit, twisted her wrist in response. "I've got my hands full with this assignment, can't afford any slip-ups, and probably won't have time to babysit you. Like you said, let's leave it to chance."

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