It was not dramatic.

There was no secret escape.

It was paperwork, phone calls, consent, and the hard work of making a reasonable decision while frightened.

I understood that if I wanted Maya to trust me, I had to show her that safety was something adults created carefully, not something they announced with confidence.

My hands curled into fists.

“I will not run.”

Vance looked at me with something almost like pity.

“This is not running, Julian.