Maya looked at the motorcycles—at strangers who had come not for attention, but because someone might be in danger.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
He nodded. “You shouldn’t need protection just to exist in public. But until people learn to step in, we will.”
As the sun dipped lower and the pier returned to normal, Ethan pushed her toward the exit.
“So,” he said gently, “funnel cake?”
Maya laughed, shaky but real. “Yeah. Definitely funnel cake.”
Because for a moment, the world showed her its cruelty.
And then—just as suddenly—it showed her its courage.
