I slowly turned to Raven. Her eyes were on the ground now, shoulders curled, face unreadable. This was not the woman who had just told me everything was fine. This was not someone safe. And standing in front of me was a man who'd shown up like a storm. Something wasn't adding up. Not even close. I didn't blink. My eyes stayed locked on Raven, silently begging her to give me something. A sign. A nod. A subtle reach for my hand. Anything that would tell me she wasn't okay and needed help. The man claimed to be her husband, but that didn't explain her panic. That didn't explain the trembling hands and the way she shrunk behind me. I held my breath. Waiting. Then, like a switch being flipped, she moved. Before I could process it, Raven darted from behind me and rushed into the man's arms.

