*Darren leaned against the cool metal railing of his balcony, the cheap red wine sloshing slightly in the plastic cup he held. Below, the Friday night buzz of the city was a low, persistent hum - distant traffic, muffled music from another apartment, fragments of shouted conversations. Just noise. Background noise for a world that felt increasingly like a stage set, flimsy and poorly lit.* *He scrolled through the photos on his phone, thumb flicking past blurred party scenes, architectural shot...