Her gaze found those olive eyes again.
They looked darker now.
"Are we going to live here forever?"
Mathieu's voice was soft, almost swallowed by the dark. He lay beside her, wide awake despite the story she'd finished telling minutes ago. Both of them stared up at the ceiling, sleep nowhere in sight.
"No," she murmured gently. "We'll go back soon."
Of course they would. This place was temporary. They didn't belong here not really.
She was grateful beyond words for everything Damien had done. He was paying for Mathieu's treatment. He'd given them shelter, safety, food. But gratitude didn't quiet the storm inside her. Mathieu's schooling had been interrupted. Julien was likely searching for him. Everything felt suspended, fragile.
"What will happen to him?" Mathieu whispered. "I hope he stays in prison forever."
Her chest tightened painfully.
