# Kaira's POV

Tony led me to the blooming park where children's laughter echoed. Families spread blankets on the grass, couples walked hand in hand, and kids chased each other around the playground, their voices light and carefree. The air smelled like popcorn and cotton candy, warm and sweet and soft.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the knot in my chest began to loosen... just a little. Like maybe I could breathe again.

Tony handed me an ice cream cone, and I laughed when it melted too fast to keep up with.

He bought candy apples that were way too sweet and yogurt that soothed my throat after too much laughter.

We tossed rings at bottles, missed shots at the basketball hoop, and shrieked when we won cheap prizes.

I looked around at the laughter, the love, the lightness, and I wondered…

Would I ever get to live like this?

To be carefree. To not flinch at every step.

What did it feel like to belong in a world like this? The weight of my problems seemed to lift, like they were floating away.

Tony's eyes followed my every move, a gentle smile playing on his lips. Not for himself... it was like seeing me happy made something inside him ease.

His face glowed with quiet delight as he watched me enjoy something as simple as this.

I turned to look at him, noticing how the setting sun painted everything golden.

"It's getting dark," I murmured, almost wishing it wouldn’t.

But Tony didn't respond. His eyes just kept looking at me... his smile faltering. His mind seemed far away.

I tilted my head to the left. His eyes followed. I moved to the right. His gaze tracked me again. My brows pinched. I waved my hand in front of his face.

"Tony, is something on my face?" My voice came out innocent, confused.

He blinked, his eyebrows shooting up. "On your face? No. Like what?"

"You were staring at me. My face..."

"Your face? No.... I mean, not like that. I wasn't." He said too quickly.

Then, after a pause, he pointed behind me, where children were giggling and petting a fluffy white bunny.

"I was looking at the kids. Cute bunny and all."

His voice was soft, almost tender.

I turned to look, and my breath caught. "Wow..." I breathed.

Then walked slowly toward the bunny. Its soft fur was like silk under my fingers. The children's pure joy filled me. For a moment, I forgot everything.

"Hello, bunny," I whispered, patting its head.

But my time with the bunny didn't last.

Tony's phone buzzed.

He glanced at it. And just like that... his energy shifted.

His hand found my shoulder. Firm. And urgent.

"Let’s go," he said quietly.

With no explanation. Just a soft pull.

The moment cracked.

"Mm-hm," I hummed, nodding. My chest felt full and satisfied for the first time in weeks.

* * *

During the ride home, Tony's face was pressed against the car window. His reflection showed deep lines of worry between his eyebrows. He thought I couldn't see, but I noticed everything... the way his jaw clenched, how his fingers drummed against his leg.

Something was eating at him. I wanted to ask, but the tight set of his shoulders told me he wouldn't want to talk about it. So I stayed quiet, letting the silence stretch between us.

We pulled into our neighborhood at 9 PM. Most houses were dark, their windows glowing softly with the flicker of televisions.

My stomach twisted with dread as the thought of Tonia and Aunt Martha hit me.

"Please let them be asleep" I prayed silently. Aunt Martha usually went to bed right at 9 PM. Sometimes even earlier, around 8:45. She had made it clear that no one should wake her once she was asleep.

But Tonia was unpredictable. Sometimes she would be out clubbing until dawn. Sometimes she'd crash at her friend's place. And sometimes she'd be waiting in the living room like someone ready to pounce.

My heart hammered as we approached the house. The afternoon's drama with Vincent felt like a lifetime ago, but I knew it would come back to haunt me.

To my amazement, the house was dead quiet. No lights in the living room. No sound of Tonia's voice or the television.

A deep sigh of relief escaped my lips. Tony noticed and relaxed too.

"Go to your room," he said softly, his hand warm on my back.

"Thank you, Tony. For today. You made me feel... I can't even describe it. Happy. More than happy."

"I'm glad I could help. I enjoyed seeing your rare smile. A gift," he said with a chuckle.

I laughed too, but then noticed his eyes darting toward the door.

"Are you heading somewhere?" Curiosity got the better of me.

"No." The word came out too quickly and sharply.

"I was just... um, it's nothing. I'm not going anywhere." He rubbed his hands on his jeans, a nervous habit I'd seen before.

"Okay..." I murmured, not convinced.

"I'm going in now."

"Yeah, sure." He waved me away with forced casualness.

Once inside my room, unease crept up my spine like cold fingers. Something felt... off. I paused. My hand was still on the doorknob. Then pressed my ear against the door, holding my breath, listening.

But nothing.

Then...

A soft creak of the front door opening. A footstep trying to be quiet. The door closed again with a gentle click and the turn of a lock.

My stomach knotted.

I cracked my door open and peeked out.

He's gone.

The living room was empty. Dark.

No shoes on the mat. No sound from the hallway.

"I was right. Something was off." I sighed and opened the door wider.

I stepped out, my bare feet soundless on the tiles.

My instincts screamed at me to find out where he'd gone. I tiptoed to his study, and my heart raced as I peeked into his study. But it was empty. His room was super tidy as always, with everything in its place. He was obsessive about cleanliness.

I held my breath as I checked Tonia's room, which was next to his. My breath hitched. What if she caught me snooping...

I twisted the knob carefully. But her room was empty and messy as always. I felt relieved she wasn't there.

Her clothes were scattered across the floor, and her makeup was spilled on the dresser. She never cleaned unless I did it for her.

During my first semester, when I was juggling work and school, she would still force me to clean her room every morning. If she were still in bed when I left for classes, the mess would be waiting for me when I got home, like a punishment.

"She's probably out somewhere," I whispered, closing her door.

I checked through the keyhole of Aunt Martha's room. She was snoring softly, mouth slightly open.

"But where did Tony rush off to?" My voice barely made a sound.

I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

"I hope everything's okay with him." Worry gnawed at my stomach.

I pulled away from the wall soon before going back to my room.

I stared at my wardrobe and then an idea struck. Then I made a decision. Uncle wasn't home yet... that means he would be working late until the weekend. This was my chance.

I glanced at the clock. Almost 9:30.

I crossed the room to my wardrobe, pulled out the small travel box I had once used to stay with Camille during exam period. Uncle had agreed then because it was for studying. He cared about school, even if he didn't care about paying for it. Until Tonia ruined it with her lies, claiming to be sick, but it was probably because she couldn't survive without me to do the chores.

My hands trembled as I packed the bare essentials. This was it. My god-sent chance to escape while no one was watching.

When I finished, I grabbed my phone with trembling fingers. My thumb is hovering over a contact. My heart thudded as I dialed a number.

The phone rang once. Twice. Before a voice answered.

"Are you home? Like right now?"

I held my breath, gripping the handle of my box.

A pause.

"Okay," I whispered.

"I'm coming."

* * *