Hailee's POV
The train rocked gently as it pulled farther from the station, the steady clatter of the wheels almost soothing, almost like a lullaby. I kept the boys close, my arms wrapped tight around them, their warmth pressed against me as if I could shield them from everything waiting outside these walls. For a few stolen minutes, I let myself breathe. Just breathe.
I didn't know where I was taking them. I had no plan, no map, no destination waiting. Just the desperate need to get away. To get out. To run until Frederick and the life I'd built there were nothing but a memory.
Was it foolish? Reckless? Probably. But what else could I do? Every day in that house was tearing me apart. Every glance at Frederick, every kindness from him, was another blade against my heart. I couldn't keep hurting him—couldn't keep standing beside a man who gave me everything when I couldn't give him what he wanted most. My love.
So leaving felt like the only choice left. Even if it was madness.
