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

We leave the cabin the next morning.

Ethan decides it's too dangerous to stay, now that Victoria knows where we are. We drive back to the city, but instead of going to Ethan's house, we go to a hotel downtown—one with security, one where Victoria won't think to look for us.

Mr. Henderson meets us there, his eyes widening when he sees the evidence we found.

"This is... damning," he says, flipping through the photo album. "With this, we can not only get full custody of Lily, but we can press criminal charges against Victoria. Kidnapping, fraud, stalking—she could go to prison for a very long time."

The thought of Victoria in prison should make me feel happy. Instead, I feel numb.

"When do we file?" Ethan asks.

"Tomorrow morning," Mr. Henderson says. "I'll have all the paperwork ready. We'll file for emergency custody first, to make sure Victoria can't take Lily. Then we'll file the criminal charges."

He looks at me. "You'll need to testify, Elena. In court. Are you ready for that?"

I think about everything Victoria put me through. The seven years of fear. The loneliness. The pain of being separated from my daughter.

I look at Lily, who's sitting on the hotel bed, watching cartoons, completely unaware of the adult conversation happening around her.

"I'm ready," I say firmly. "Whatever it takes."

That night, Ethan and I lie in bed together, Lily asleep between us.

The hotel room is quiet, except for the sound of Lily's breathing.

"Are you okay?" Ethan whispers, his hand finding mine across Lily's sleeping form.

"I don't know," I admit. "Part of me wants Victoria to pay for everything she did. But another part of me... I feel sorry for her. She was so obsessed with having the perfect life that she destroyed everything. And she loved Lily, in her own way. I know she did."

Ethan squeezes my hand.

"Love isn't about possession, Elena," he says softly. "It's about wanting what's best for the person you love. Victoria never understood that. She thought love meant owning someone. Controlling them. That's not love. That's obsession."

He's right, of course. But that doesn't make it any less sad.

The next morning, Mr. Henderson files the paperwork.

We spend the day in his office, going over our statements, preparing for the court hearing. Lily stays with a trusted nanny, someone Ethan has known for years.

Around three o'clock, Ethan's phone rings.

He answers it, and his face goes pale.

"What?" he says, his voice tight. "When? How?"

I sit up, my heart racing.

Ethan listens for a moment, then hangs up the phone. He looks at me, his eyes filled with fear.

"That was the police," he says. "Victoria is missing."

I stare at him, confused. "Missing?"

"Her house is empty," he says. "Her car is gone. No one has seen her since yesterday. The police think she's... planning something."

A cold chill runs down my spine.

"Lily," I say, jumping up. "Where's Lily?"

"She's with Sarah, the nanny," Ethan says, already grabbing his coat. "At the park. We need to get to her. Now."

We run out of the office, Ethan driving faster than he should. My mind is racing with terrible thoughts. Victoria has Lily. Victoria has taken her again. I'm going to lose my daughter all over again.

We pull up to the park, and I see her immediately.

Lily is on the swings, laughing, while Sarah pushes her. Everything looks normal.

I jump out of the car before it even stops, running to my daughter.

"Mommy!" Lily says, surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"

I pull her into a tight hug, tears streaming down my face. "I'm so glad you're okay," I whisper. "I'm so, so glad."

Ethan talks to Sarah, making sure everything is okay. When he comes back over, his face is still serious.

"She hasn't been seen," he says quietly. "The police are looking for her. But until they find her, we need to be extra careful. No more parks. No more public places. We stay in the hotel, or at Mr. Henderson's office. Understood?"

I nod, holding Lily close.