stay here forever.”
“No one asked you to.”
“What if I need somewhere to go?”
“Then you’ll have somewhere to go tonight.”
The distinction mattered.
Not forever.
Tonight.
Sometimes survival did not require solving an entire life. Sometimes it required having one safe night.
After my shower, I changed into soft gray trousers and a sweater that was too large but warm. My hair was still damp when I returned downstairs.
Emma had fallen asleep on the sofa beneath a blanket. Daniel carried her upstairs while Mrs. Alvarez poured tea.
