ADRIAN
The moment Daniel and his parents disappeared into the crowd, I felt the shift in Isabella.
She stood close to me, but her shoulders were tight, her breath uneven. She was trying to hold herself together, trying not to show how shaken she was. I knew her well enough now to see the cracks forming beneath the surface.
I placed a hand on the small of her back. “We’re leaving.”
She nodded, grateful for the escape.
My family watched us go, confused and unsettled, but I didn’t stop to explain. Not here. Not with half the restaurant still staring after the scene that had just unfolded.
Outside, the cold air hit us like a slap.
Tobias was already waiting by the car, eyes sharp, posture tense. He’d seen Daniel. He’d seen the parents and to know something was wrong.
I opened the door
