December 30, 2025 – Chicago Natalia Reyes's HomeTime: 11:15 PM
Outside, Chicago's howling wind lashed against the buildings, but the silence inside Natalia's apartment was even heavier. Natalia sat on the edge of her bed wearing only black lace underwear and Michael's old gray T-shirt, which he had left behind. In her hand was the small note Michael had left:"Cognitive Dissonance."
"Fuck you, Michael," Natalia whispered into the darkness. "If you're dead, stay in your grave. If you're alive... If you're alive, I'll kill you with my own hands."
A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. The role of the "broken detective" in front of the cameras was a great shield to lull the moles in the police force. But that emptiness inside her... That emptiness was not a role. She hadn't seen Michael's body, but the force of the explosion had destroyed everything. Until this note.
Suddenly, there was a faint sound from the balcony door lock. Natalia quickly pulled the Glock from under her pillow and pointed the barrel into the darkness. "Whoever you are, give me one reason not to blow your head off!"
A silhouette emerged from the darkness. Tall, broad-shouldered, a shadow looming in a black coat. Water dripping from his wet hair hitting the floor, Michael slowly took a step toward the light.
Natalia's breath caught. Her hands holding the gun began to tremble. "Michael?"
"Put that gun down, Natalia," Michael said. His voice wasn't the same. It was deeper, rougher. The "Adrian Vane" mask he'd worn when talking to Sterling still seemed to hang over his face.
Natalia lowered the gun but immediately stepped toward him. "You son of a bitch! How could you throw me into a fire like this?" Natalia punched Michael hard in the chest. "Everyone thought you were dead! I... I cried for you, damn it!"
Michael grabbed Natalia's arms tightly. As the distance between them closed to zero, the familiar vanilla scent emanating from Natalia mingled with the smell of rain and gunpowder on Michael.
"I had to," Michael said, pulling Natalia closer to him. "If Sterling had seen Michael Hale in front of him, he would have destroyed me in seconds. The alchemist created a digital past for me; an art collector named Adrian Vane who never existed... Sterling knows me by that fake identity, as a wealthy heir. He knows my fake family, not my father (Richard). This is my only chance."
Natalia rested her head on Michael's chest, able to hear his heartbeat. "I have to put you in jail, Michael. You're a murderer."
"I know," Michael said, lifting Natalia's chin with his hand. His gaze fell on Natalia's lips. "But first we have to stay alive."
Michael leaned toward Natalia's face. The pent-up desire between them, the tension that had been building for months, exploded in an instant. As Natalia wrapped her arms around Michael's neck, Michael pushed her toward the bed. This was not a romantic encounter; it was two people clinging to each other in defiance of death. It was fierce, violent, and utterly real...
When Michael pulled Natalia's T-shirt off in one swift motion, Natalia dug her nails into his back. "If you die tomorrow," Natalia gasped, "I'll find you in hell."
"We won't die tomorrow, Natalia," Michael said, planting a hard kiss on her neck. "Tomorrow, we'll kill the real owners of Chicago."
December 31, 2025 – Time: 4:00 a.m.
On Waukegan Road
Michael had left Natalia's house before dawn. Sitting behind the wheel of his car, he stared at the "hourglass" cufflink in his pocket. Everything was ready to enter Sterling's mansion. Natalia's operation to clean out the moles in the police force would begin in the morning.
A message came to his phone Ivy.
"Luca's men are on their way to Waukegan. I 'leaked' that you're meeting Sterling. Natalia's team is behind them. That place is about to turn into a bloodbath, Michael. Are you ready?"
Michael shifted into gear and stepped on the gas. "I'm ready, Ivy. But we'll see if the world is ready for this much filth."