Victoria was throwing a frightened woman and her little girl out of the house when Ethan suddenly walked in.

Ethan calls the police immediately.

They come to the house, two officers who take my statement and look at the text message. They promise to increase patrols in the neighborhood, but I can see it in their eyes—there's not much they can do until Victoria actually does something.

"She's not going to stop," I tell Ethan after the officers leave. We're sitting in the living room, the lights dim, Lily asleep upstairs. "She's obsessed. You heard her earlier. She thinks you and Lily belong to her."

Ethan runs his hand through his hair, looking tired and worried.

"I know," he says. "That's why I've arranged for us to go somewhere else. Somewhere she can't find us."

I look at him, surprised. "Where?"

"My family has a cabin up in the mountains," he says. "It's remote. Private. No one knows about it except my immediate family. We can stay there until this is all sorted out."

The thought of running again makes my stomach turn. I just got my daughter back. I just got Ethan back. I don't want to hide anymore.

But I look at the ceiling, where Lily is sleeping peacefully, and I know what I have to do.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Ethan says. "I'll pack tonight. You spend time with Lily. Explain it to her in a way that won't scare her."

I nod, even though I have no idea how to explain to a seven-year-old that we're running away from the woman she thought was her mother.

The next morning, I tell Lily we're going on an adventure.

Her eyes light up. "An adventure? Like in my storybooks?"

"Exactly like that," I say, forcing a smile. "We're going to stay in a cabin in the mountains. There are trees and animals and fresh air. It'll be fun."

"Can Victoria come too?" she asks innocently.

My heart breaks a little.

"No, baby," I say gently. "Victoria can't come. This is just for us. Me, you, and Daddy."

She looks disappointed for a moment, then brightens. "Okay! Can we go hiking? I want to see a deer!"

"Maybe," I say, laughing through my tears. "We'll see."

The drive to the cabin takes three hours.

Lily falls asleep in the backseat, her head lolling against the window. I sit in the passenger seat, watching the scenery change from city to countryside to forest.

Ethan reaches over and takes my hand. His hand is warm and strong, and for a moment, I allow myself to imagine that this is just a normal family trip. That we're not running from a dangerous woman. That the last seven years never happened.

"Thank you," I say softly.

He glances at me, a small smile on his face. "For what?"

"For all of this," I say. "For believing me. For protecting us. For... for not letting Victoria win."

His fingers squeeze mine. "I should have been there for you seven years ago," he says quietly. "I should have known something was wrong. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, Elena. Both of you."

I look at him, really look at him, and I see the man I fell in love with all those years ago. The man who used to bring me coffee and tell me bad jokes and make me feel like the most special woman in the world.

The feelings I thought I'd buried deep inside come rushing to the surface, stronger than ever.

The cabin is everything Ethan promised.

It's a beautiful log structure, nestled in the woods, surrounded by tall pine trees. There's a porch with rocking chairs, a fireplace inside, and a view of the mountains that takes my breath away.

Lily wakes up as we pull up, and her eyes go wide.

"It's like a castle!" she exclaims.

We spend the day exploring. Lily runs through the trees, collecting pinecones and looking for animals. Ethan builds a fire in the fireplace, and we roast marshmallows that night, telling stories and laughing.

For the first time in a long time, I feel safe.

That night, after Lily is asleep, I find Ethan sitting on the porch, looking up at the stars.

"Can I join you?" I ask softly.

He nods, patting the rocking chair beside him.

I sit down, and we sit in silence for a while, watching the stars twinkle in the clear mountain sky.

"It's beautiful here," I say finally.

"It is," he agrees. "I used to come here with my parents when I was a kid. Before everything got complicated."

He turns to look at me, his eyes serious in the starlight.

"Elena, I need to tell you something. Something I should have said a long time ago."

My heart races. "What is it?"

He takes a deep breath.

"I never stopped loving you," he says quietly. "Not even when I thought you were dead. I married Victoria because I was lonely, because I thought I'd never find anyone else. But she was never you. No one could ever be you."

Tears fill my eyes.

"I never stopped loving you either," I whisper. "Every day I was gone, I thought about you. Wondered what you were doing. If you were happy. I never wanted to leave. I thought it was the only way to keep Lily safe."

Ethan reaches out, brushing a tear from my cheek.

"You're here now," he says softly. "Both of you. And I'm never letting you go again."