Liam stepped out of Vanessa's modest home, the wooden door clicking shut behind him like a quiet punctuation to another fleeting moment of peace. The morning air carried the faint salt of the sea and the earthy scent of recent rain, but beneath it all lingered the weight he couldn't quite shake. His boots crunched against the gravel path as he moved toward the bridge connecting the little island to the mainland.
'One more loop,' he thought, jaw tight. 'Just enough to throw her off.'
The crossing felt longer than usual, each step echoing with the memory of the girls' laughter still ringing from inside the house. He'd left them sleeping soundly, safe for now. But safety was an illusion he'd learned to distrust. Something ancient and watchful was hunting him across possibilities, and every choice he made tightened the noose—or loosened it. He picked up speed, the wind whipping past as the familiar silhouette of the starting town rose ahead.
