Vesna was 23 when the call came.
Graduation day.
Cap in hand. Smile half-forced because something felt… off.
Her father was supposed to be there.
He wasn't.
Then her phone rang.
"Miss Phoenix… This is Memorial Hospital. Your father—there's been an incident. You need to come immediately."
Her chest tightened. Everything blurred. She barely remembered the bus ride, or pushing through the crowded halls.
But she remembered the officers waiting.
The way they avoided her eyes.
"I'm sorry… He didn't make it."
She froze.
"There are signs of foul play," one added carefully. "We don't know who… but we're investigating."
That was all they had.
No suspects. No names. Just nothing.
Her father—gone, without answers.
Vesna stood there, staring past them.
Tears burned her eyes, but something colder took over.
If the police wouldn't find the truth…
She would.
And whoever took her father away—
She would take everything from them.