Liora
The hum of the plane was soft and constant, like a lullaby meant to calm a restless heart. I pressed my forehead against the window, staring at the faint outline of California below. My home. My prison. My battlefield.
For so long, I had thought I’d never leave. I had built my entire life there my marriage, my motherhood, my memories. But now, as the plane rose higher and the city grew smaller, I felt the weight of all those years lift from my chest little by little.
Ezra sat beside me, flipping through documents, his expression calm as always. Every so often, he’d glance at me to make sure I was alright. I wasn’t sure what “alright” even meant anymore, but I nodded anyway.
“I keep thinking,” I murmured, eyes still on the clouds, “what if I never come back?”
“Then maybe that’s t
