Aliyah’s POV

"You sure you don't want to go back to them?"

I didn't say anything and she nodded.

She didn’t argue. She knew better.

When I stepped onto the plane, the hum of the engines filled the air, steady and reassuring. I found my seat by the window, buckled in, and let my head rest against the glass. Outside, the night stretched endlessly. A dark, vast promise of a new beginning.

I pressed a hand against my belly, feeling a small kick beneath my palm. My lips trembled into a ...