The suitcase sat open on the bed like a coffin waiting to be filled.
Daniel had told me to “pack light,” his voice calm, almost pleasant, as if this trip were a gift, a kindness. But every item I folded into the case felt like surrender.
Adrian had been clear. Don’t go. His voice still echoed in my head from the night before. Run with me. Tonight.
But I hadn’t run.
Maybe because fear had frozen me in place. Maybe because, despite everything, part of me still clung to the hope that Daniel didn’t want to kill me—that he wanted answers, closure, maybe even forgiveness. Or maybe I was just too much a coward to leap into the unknown with Adrian.
Now, as I zipped the bag, the sound sharp and final, I realized it didn’t matter why. I was going. And whatever waited on the other side of this “
