The steps to the administrative wing felt strangely easy — no heaviness in her chest, no anxious second-guessing about how it would look or what it would mean. She’d made peace with it. Isabel’s decision wasn’t a loss. It was… change. And for the first time, Victoria wasn’t afraid of change.
She handed the letter to Chief Reynolds’s assistant, exchanged the standard words, and left without looking back.
By the time she returned to her office, the sun had climbed higher, cutting bright lines across her desk. She sat, took a sipof her coffee — black, no sugar, always — and felt the warmth spread through her chest.
There was still paperwork to do, meetings to schedule, statements to finalize from the Harper case. The world hadn’t slowed down just because her life had shifted. But she felt steadier in it, more herself than she had in years.
Her reflection in the office window caught her off guard — same uniform, same clipped hair, same posture — but her expression was different. Softer. She didn’t look tired anymore.
For years, she’d told herself that control was safety. That discipline and distance kept her sane. But the truth was, they’d only kept her lonely.
Now, the thought didn’t scare her.
She’d let herself fall — not recklessly, not without thought — but she’dchosento, and that made all the difference.
Victoria smiled faintly and leaned back in her chair, fingers lacing behind her head. She’d seen her team through a bombing, a kidnapping, and a betrayal that had nearly gutted the department — and somehow, they’d all come out the other side stronger.
But it wasn’t just the team that had changed.Shehad.
For the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn’t feel like she was holding her breath. The walls she’d built for decades were still there, but lighter now — more like a framework than a fortress. She’d learned that strength didn’t always mean control. Sometimes it meant letting someone in, even when every instinct told her not to.
And she’d done that.
Not perfectly. Not easily. But honestly.
The knock at her door drew her from her thoughts.
“Captain Langley?” Officer Patel poked her head in, smiling. “We just got word — the DA’s office moved forward with the IronFang indictments. Cassandra Bellamy and Evelyn Cross are both in custody.”
Victoria’s lips curved, the corners of her mouth tipping up in a rare, genuine smile. “Good. Make sure the team gets the update.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When the door closed again, Victoria exhaled slowly. It was over. The case that had nearly torn everything apart was finally finished.
And somehow, she’d found something —someone— worth keeping in the wreckage.
She looked out toward the city, the light glinting off the bay. She didn’t know what came next — for Isabel, for them, for her own carefully rebuilt life — but for the first time in years, she wasn’t afraid of what she couldn’t control.
The day slipped by in a blur of debriefs, congratulatory emails, and endless paperwork. By the time Victoria finally left the precinct, the sun was sinking low, painting the horizon in soft bands of pink and amber.
She drove without really thinking about it, the route familiar now — winding through the coastal streets, past the little cafés and the harbor lights blinking against the water. Her uniform jacket was folded neatly in the passenger seat, and for once, she didn’t feel the weight of it pressing on her shoulders.
When she parked in front of Isabel’s apartment, she sat for a moment, her hands resting on the steering wheel. The air smelled faintly of sea salt and the distant promise of rain. For once, her nerves weren’t from fear or second-guessing. Just…anticipation.
She climbed the steps, each one steady and certain.
When Isabel opened the door, she looked surprised, though not unhappy. Barefoot, hair damp from a shower, wearing an old T-shirt that hung loose on her frame — she looked more at ease than Victoria had ever seen her.
“Hey,” Isabel said softly, leaning against the doorframe. “You’re off duty early.”
“Paperwork can wait,” Victoria said. Her voice came out lower than she intended.
Isabel’s lips curved, the faintest tease in her tone. “You sure about that? That’s practically a crime for you.”
Victoria’s mouth twitched. “I’ll take my chances.”
They stood there for a heartbeat longer than necessary, that familiar current tugging between them — quieter now, but deeper.
