One percent battery.
A message from an unknown number.
She opened it.
A photo loaded slowly, pixel by pixel, revealing Ethan and Lila kissing in Maya’s kitchen, Lila’s hand extended toward the camera, a diamond ring catching the light like a prize.
Below it, a single sentence:
Hope the snow keeps you warm. Don’t come back.
Maya’s throat tightened, tears blurring her vision, freezing almost instantly against her lashes, and for a brief moment she considered sitting down right there on the icy sidewalk, letting the storm swallow her exhaustion, letting the world decide what happened next.
Then Noah cried again, a little louder this time, his tiny body wriggling against her chest, reminding her, with ruthless simplicity, that surrender was not an option.
Maya inhaled deeply, the cold burning her lungs, and whispered into his blanket, “I’m here.”
Her phone went dark.
