The sunlight felt too bright. Too normal for the thoughts inside him. They got into a taxi. Ruby sat with Nathan again, holding him close. Ethan leaned against her side, quieter now, sensing the shift even if he didn't understand it.
Maxwell sat in the front. Silent. Staring ahead. The city moved around them, alive, unaware.
Cars passing. People walking. Life continuing. But inside that car. Everything had changed.
Ruby looked down at Nathan, her hand resting protectively over his chest. Her expression was calm. But her mind was not. Plans were already forming.
Work. Money. Solutions. She didn't see Maxwell's reflection in the rearview mirror. Didn't see the way his eyes had darkened. The way his thoughts had hardened into something more dangerous than fear.
