Game over.
“I promise. On everything that matters.”
The rest of the movie passes in a haze of warmth and quiet comfort. They laugh when it’s funny. They gasp when it’s exciting. And when the credits roll, Connor stretches dramatically and declares it the best movie ever, while Carmen insists it was good but not as good as the book, even though there is no book.
We walk to the restaurant afterward, the evening air cool and calm. The city feels softer tonight, less dangerous, less demanding. Just a place where a mother and her children can exist without fear.