I swallowed hard, trying to steady the panic that threatened to consume me. Every instinct screamed to run back, to hide, to protect the fragile bubble I had built. But deep inside, I knew I couldn’t. Not now. Not with Kent, Rolland, and Anastasia depending on me.The air felt thick, pressing against my chest as I tried to think, to plan, to strategize. I replayed Abbas’s words over and over: “Bring the papers. Alone.” No witnesses. No backup. No room for error. And the implication hung there, unspoken but sharp as a blade: the stakes were higher than I could have imagined.I glanced back at the children. Rolland, stubborn and defiant, oblivious to the danger yet acutely aware of every adult misstep. Kent, fragile, still recovering, his trust in the world shaken but not broken. Anastasia, innocent, radiating a light I had fought to protect. And then there was Sebastian, standing tall despite the tension in his body, waiting for permission, waiting for trust.I realized with a jolt tha
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