The waitress leaned close enough that I could feel her breath against my ear. “You need to leave. Now.” Then I looked toward the r

The late afternoon sun painted the farmhouse in shades of warm gold and amber.

I stepped out of the SUV, my boots crunching on the gravel. The air smelled like pine trees and fresh rain, a million miles away from the smog and tension of the city.

Cashion walked around the back of the car, opening the door and unbuckling Leo from his car seat. He lifted the boy high into the air, making Leo shriek with delighted laughter, before settling him onto his broad shoulders.

I walked up the wooden steps of the wrap-around porch, trailing my hand along the smooth, white railing.

There was a porch swing hanging near the front door. A large yard stretched out in the back, ending at a small, sparkling creek.

It was exactly the kind of house I used to draw in my notebooks when I was a little girl, dreaming of a life without struggle.

"Do you like it?" Cashion asked, stepping onto the porch beside me.

"It's perfect," I whispered, tears welling in my eyes for the hundredth time this week. "But Cashion... is it safe? Without the guards? Without the reinforced doors?"

Cashion reached out, his free hand gently cupping my cheek.

"The syndicate is gone, Mara," he said, his voice steady and absolute. "The Council accepted my resignation. I handed over the illegal ports and the casinos. The only thing I kept was the legitimate construction firm. I am just a civilian now. A builder."

He looked at Leo, who was happily tugging on his father’s ear.

"There are no more hitmen. No more tracking devices. No more panic rooms," Cashion promised, looking deeply into my eyes. "The only thing this house will ever protect you from is the rain."

I let out a shaky breath, the final, lingering knot of anxiety in my chest completely dissolving.

For three years, I had been running. I had been surviving.

But standing here, on this porch, with the man I loved and our beautiful son, I realized I was finally doing something else.

I was living.

Eli pulled up the driveway a few minutes later in his own car. He hopped out, carrying a large cardboard box filled with Leo’s toys and our few belongings.

"Dibs on the room with the balcony!" Eli yelled, jogging up the steps.

"You're paying rent, college boy!" Cashion yelled back, but he was laughing. A real, deep, booming laugh that echoed across the lawn.

I watched the two men in my life playfully bicker as they carried boxes inside.

I stood on the porch for a moment longer, looking down at the vintage diamond ring sparkling on my left hand.

Then, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my mother’s pearl necklace.

I clasped it around my neck. The pearls rested perfectly against my collarbone, warm and heavy.

"We made it, Mom," I whispered to the wind.

The front door opened, and Cashion stepped back out onto the porch. He didn't say a word. He just walked over, wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, and pulled my back flush against his chest.

I leaned into him, resting my hands over his large, scarred ones.

"What are you thinking about?" Cashion murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple.

I looked out at the rolling green hills, the sun slowly setting on a lifetime of fear.

"I'm thinking," I smiled, turning my head to catch his lips, "that I never want to run again."