EMMA'S POV

It had been a few surprisingly calm weeks.

No Ethan showing up unannounced. No cryptic messages. No unexplainable shadows outside the house. Nothing.

Just peace.

Just Damon, Harper, my mom... and me.

I still couldn't believe how safe I felt here. Every morning I woke up, half-expecting something to go wrong. But instead, I found myself smiling more, laughing even - something I hadn't done in so long, it almost felt foreign. Damon didn't ask many questions, Harper was easy to talk to, ...