Chapter 87. False Collapse

“You’re smiling,” Knox said, his voice low in the dark.

Harper stood at the edge of the tower, her reflection stretched across the floor-to-ceiling glass. “I’m not smiling,” she replied. “I’m watching myself disappear.”

Knox moved closer, but didn’t touch her. “You asked me once if I’d know when you started to break.”

She turned slightly, eyes shadowed. “And?”

“I think you’re breaking now.” His voice was level, not accusatory—just an anchor, dropped between them.

She didn’t flinch. “Good.”

Behind them, Lucien tapped into the internal diagnostic stream. The mirror loop was working. Slowly, Ledger’s predictive systems began to spiral, forecasting Harper’s downfall with increasing confidence. Her loyalty ratings dipped. Her network edge degraded. Behavioral trackers flagged emotional instability.

Exactly as planned.

But the cost was real, too.

She hadn’t slept in two days. Her speech at the Western Pillar Summit was tight, controlle