Lyla

Melanie and Zayed left early the next morning right after breakfast.

I was nervous for them to leave Rashid and me behind, a part of me believing that we were going to be vulnerable without them here to protect us—from what I wasn’t sure, reporters, the news media, my parents maybe?

I didn’t know.

I hated feeling so needy though, especially when Melanie was the one to tell us that we were ...