By the end of the week, the tension hadn't disappeared. It had just gone quiet, sinking into something steadier and far more dangerous. It wasn't the sharp jolt of sudden threats anymore. Now it was always there, humming under every ordinary moment.
Nora adjusted where she could. She switched their walking routes, shuffled the daily rhythms, never let them linger too long in one place. On the surface it all looked normal, Ethan still dragged his feet getting ready for school, still came home buzzing with stories, still laughed at nothing in particular. But every choice she made carried weight now. Every movement had purpose.
She wasn't running. She was guarding the small space she'd carved out for them.
Even that had its limits.
That morning started the same as always. Ethan complained
