CHAPTER 5: THE PAST
That night, I couldn't sleep.
The guest room was too big, too quiet, too perfect. I lay in a bed that cost more than my previous rent, staring at a ceiling that felt like it was closing in on me.
At 2 AM, I got up and went to check on the children.
Ava was asleep, her face peaceful for the first time in months. Ethan was awake, sitting up in bed with his knees pulled to his chest.
"Hey," I said softly. "What's wrong?"
"I can't sleep either."
I sat down on the edge of his bed. "Want to talk about it?"
"Is he going to hurt us?"
"No. I promise."
"You don't know that. You just met him."
He was right. I didn't know.
But I knew desperation. I knew what it looked like. And I knew Daniel was as desperate as I was.
"He's not going to hurt us," I said. "He needs us as much as we need him."
"That's weird."
"It is. But weird is better than hungry."
Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then: "Mom, are we ever going to go back home?"
The question hit me like a punch to the gut.
"Home isn't safe anymore," I said. "Remember what I told you?"
"She's still looking for us."
"Yes."
"Is she ever going to stop?"
"I don't know, honey. But I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe."
He looked at me with those too-old eyes.
"I know you will."
He lay back down, and I tucked him in.
When I finally returned to my room, there was a note on my pillow.
Come to my office. We need to talk.
It was Daniel's handwriting.
I went to his office, expecting more negotiation, more terms, more rules.
Instead, I found him standing at the window, staring out at the darkness.
"There's something I need to tell you," he said. "About my ex-wife."
"I already know she's dangerous."
"More than dangerous. She's the reason my first marriage ended. And she's the reason I've been alone for the past decade."
"What did she do?"
He turned to face me. "She tried to kill me."
The words hung in the air, cold and heavy.
"I'm sorry?"
"Five years ago, she hired someone to run me off the road. I survived with a broken arm and a concussion. She went to prison for two years. Now she's out, and she's been lurking around ever since."
"And you think she'll come after me?"
"I think she'll come after anyone who gets close to me. Including your children."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"You should have told me this before I brought my kids here."
"I should have. But I'm telling you now because I need you to understand what you're walking into."
"Mr. Hayes—"
"Daniel."
"Daniel, I've been on the run for three years from a woman who wants to take my daughter. I know about danger. What I don't know is how to fight it."
He walked toward me. "Then let me help you. Let me protect you."
"Your ex-wife might have you killed."
"She might. But I'd rather die fighting than let her win."
I didn't know what to say to that.
May you like
So I said nothing.
And for a long time, we just stood there in the darkness, two strangers trying to survive something neither of us understood.
