Cold night air slammed into my face as I fell outside, coughing until my body shook violently.
No one saw me.
No one followed.
And I didn’t stop.
Not when my knees buckled. Not when I had to cling to street signs, brace against parked cars, drag myself forward step by step. I kept going because I knew—deep in my bones—that if I stopped, if they found me again, I wouldn’t survive a second time.
I vanished into the city.
Hours later, I boarded a flight bound for the Northern Territories.
Just before takeoff, my phone vibrated.
A message from Don Zachary.
[Stop playing games, Avery. I don’t have time for this.]
I stared at the screen, feeling absolutely nothing.
Then I powered the phone off, leaned back as the plane began to move—
and finally let the distance carry me away.
Zachary’s POV
[Tomorrow, ten in the morning. Nina has her prenatal appointment. You’ll accompany her. Schedule your annual health screening while you’re there.]
The message went unanswered.
Not that I expected anything different.
What I didn’t know—what no one bothered to tell me—was that Avery had already removed her SIM card, shut down the phone completely, and vanished. No forwarding address. No warning. No trail.