It wasn't a plan. It wasn't a strategy. It was just two people choosing each other, one moment at a time.
For now, that was enough.
Chapter 13
Tobias
The outside world found us on a quiet morning.
Vance's phone buzzed while we were still in bed, tangled together in the gray light. I felt him tense as he read the screen, and something cold settled in my stomach before he even spoke.
"Your family hired private investigators."
I had known this was coming. Known they wouldn't just let me vanish. But hearing it confirmed made the warm cocoon of the past few days feel suddenly fragile. A bubble that could pop at any moment.
"Are they close?"
"No." He set the phone down. "They're looking in all the wrong places. Airports. Hotels in Europe. Your college roommate in Chicago."
Relief washed through me, immediate and overwhelming. They hadn't found me. I was still safe.
But beneath the relief was something else. Something that felt uncomfortably like guilt.
Later, Vance showed me the news coverage.
Elizabeth had given an interview. I watched her face on the screen, composed and elegant, saying all the right things. She spoke about being "heartbroken but hopeful" and prayed I was "safe, wherever I am."
Safe. She was worried about my safety.
"She looks tired," I said quietly.
"She's been through a lot."
"Because of me." I stared at the screen, at the dark circles under her eyes that makeup couldn't quite hide. "I did that to her."
Vance was quiet. He didn't try to tell me it wasn't my fault.
My mother appeared next, facing the cameras beside my father. She held herself together as always: spine straight, chin up, every hair in place. But I knew her tells. The slight tremor in her hands, the way she blinked too quickly when trying not to cry.
"We just want to know he's safe," she said to the cameras. "Tobias, if you're watching, please let us know you're all right."
My father stood beside her, jaw tight, silent. His hand rested on her back, supporting her as he always did when she struggled.
My throat tightened.
"They're worried about me."
"Of course they are," Vance said gently. "You're their son."
"I've been so focused on escaping that I didn't..." I stopped and swallowed hard. "They must be terrified. Not knowing where I am, not knowing if I'm alive or dead."
"You could call them."
"And say what? 'Sorry I ruined everything, but I'm fine. Please stop looking for me so I can keep hiding from my problems'?"
He didn't answer. There was no good answer.
I watched my mother's face on the screen, the careful mask that couldn't quite hide her fear, and felt the weight of what I'd done settle over me like a stone.
