bChapter /b234

    She told the cab driver to take her directly to another address, her son’s school.

    Mia could barely breathe. Her heart was hammering so hard…

    She needed to see her son. Aiden was her air, her reason to keep going. Right now, just holding him would steady her.

    Her phone buzzed in her bag, but she ignored it. She already booked the flight. She didn’t need anyone’s voice in her ear, didn’t need another reason to fall apart.

    She has made her choice. She is leaving, and nothing, no one will take Aiden away from her.

    The cab stopped and before the driver could fully park, Mia was already out.

    She takes in a deep breath before entering the schoolpound. She rushed down the familiar hall headed straight to his ssroom.

    What if they had already gotten to him?

    Her hands shook as she reached the ss door. She pressed herself against it and looked inside.

    The ssroom was calm. The teacher stood by the board talking to them. The Children sat at their desks, drawing, coloring and looking like they were listening.

    And there he was.

    Her world.

    He was sitting with his little backpack at the side of his chair, his small hand clutching the toy car he never left behind. He was listening, nodding every now and then, his little head tilting in concentration…..but he was still rolling that toy between his fingers.

    That was her son, her precious boy,pletely unaware of the storm boiling outside these walls.

    Mia lifted her hand to the ss as if she could reach him from there. Her chest tightened. I won’t let them take you. I swear it, baby.

    She knocked softly on the ss.

    The teacher turned, startled for a second. The children looked up too, little whispers starting.

    Aiden looked too, and the instant his eyesnded on her, his face lit up.

    “Mama!” His small voice rang out, muffled through the ss but still hitting her heart like a knife.

    The door opened a secondter, and Miss June, his teacher, greeted her politely.

    “Miss Rivers?” she said, stepping aside.

    b13:34 /bbTue/bb, /bbSep /bb9 /bbB /b

    Mia forced a smile “Sorry, there is a little emergency. I came to get him.”

    The teacher frowned, concern clouding her face. “Hope it’s nothing serious.”

    Mia shook her head quickly, almost too quickly. “No, nothing serious at all. He’ll be here tomorrowi. /i

    Miss June hesitated, but then nodded. “Alright, of course.”

    Meanwhile, Aiden was already on his feet, gathering his things in his small backpack.

    He knew whenever she showed up, it meant going home.

    What he didn’t know was that this time, they weren’t just leaving school early. This time, they were leaving the country.

    Her throat tightened. How is she going to exin this to him?

    How is she supposed to tell a little boy that it was safer to run, safer to disappear, than to stay and risk everything? How will she make him understand that his father was not a man he could ever meet?

    “Mama,” his little voice pulled her back.

    “Baby,” she whispered.

    Mia bent down and scooped him into her arms, hugging him tight. She pressed her face into his hair, inhaling his familiar scent.

    You’re all I have. You’re my reason. I won’t lose you.

    She swung his backpack over her shoulder while keeping him bnced against her hip. Her hand trembled as she kissed the side of his head.

    Behind them, Miss June stepped out of the ssroom, holding a thin file. “Some homework to be submitted tomorrow,” she said gently.

    Mia’s throat burned as she nodded quickly, taking the file. “Okay. Thank you.”

    b* /b

    She sits in the back of the cab hugging Aiden, holding him close.

    He was busy talking, his little voice filling the air with his usual gist about school, about his friends, about things that seemed so small but meant the world to him.

    “Mama, Jacob dropped his juice all over his shirt and Miss June told him he looked like a tomato!” Aiden giggled, kicking his little feet against the seat.

    Mia felt horrible. So horribly guilty that it made her stomach twist. For what she was about to do. For what she was about to take away from him. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be dragged around.

    But she couldn’t stay here anymore. Things had gotten out of control.

    This was not how she wanted everything to turn out. Not at all. She had imagined being the bone /bbin /bbcontrol/b. deciding when the right time would be. When she was ready. When she was sure…truly sure that bAiden /bbwould /bbe safe. That no one would ever be able to take her son away from her.

    But somehow, they found out.

    Her chest tightened as the thought hit her again…. They know about Aiden.

    She shut her eyes, pressing her lips against her son’s hair to steady her

    They were scheming something. She could feel it. People like Esther and Jullian didn’t just “find out” and leave it alone. No, they would whisper behind closed doors, make ns…. And sooner orter Charles ckwell would know.

    She wasn’t going to wait around for it to be toote. She wasn’t going to give them the chance to hurt her again.

    She tightened her hold on Aiden, pressing him closer against her chest.

    “Baby,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she tried to sound cheerful. “What do you think about going to visit Grandma?b” /b

    Aiden froze for a second, then looked up at her with wide, excited eyes. His little mouth opened in a huge smile, showing the small gap where one of his baby teeth had just fallen out.

    “Grandma?” he said in surprise, his face lighting up. “Really, Mama? We’re going?”

    Mia nodded quickly, blinking away the tears threatening to spill. “Yes, baby. We’re going.”

    That smile…God, that smile was all that mattered to her.

    In that moment, seeing his joy, she felt a small relief in the middle of her fear.

    He didn’t need to know more than that. He didn’t need to know about the danger, or the secrets, or the monsters from her past. Not yet.

    For now, all he needed to believe was that they were going to visit Grandma. That was enough.

    She brushed her fingers through his hair gently.

    “I love you, baby,” she whispered,

    Aiden smiled up at her, his small hand cupping her cheek the way he sometimes did when he saw her sad. “I love you too, Mama.”