We documented the intrusive incidents, asked for restraint, and adjusted pickup routines temporarily.

For a week I was afraid Hannah would stop the visits.

She didn’t.

Instead she asked me to show up at the agreed time and avoid making a spectacle.

“Consistency,” she reminded me.

“The children still need consistency.”

At the greenhouse, Elias had begun drawing maps.

He marked the road from Hannah’s home to the park, the museum, and the little bakery that sold his favorite rolls.