I looked at the documents, my fingers tracing the smooth plastic of the license.

“And the money?” I asked.

“An account has been established,” he said. “Sufficient for you to live comfortably while you find your footing.”

I looked up at him, my eyes filling with tears that I refused to let fall.

“Why are you doing this for me, Damiano?”

He stood there for a long moment, the firelight catching the sharp angles of his jaw.

“Because you survived him,” he said simply. “And because I do not like to see good things destroyed.”

He walked to the door of the study, pausing with his hand on the frame.

“The car will take you to the airport at dawn,” he said. “Get some sleep, Arya.”

“Thank you,” I said to his retreating back.

He didn’t answer, but his footsteps faded quietly down the hallway.

I sat in the quiet study for a long time, watching the rain beat against the glass of the high-rise window.

On the television screen, the news loop continued to play, showing the flashing lights at Marcus’s house over and over.

I picked up the new driver’s license and stared at my own face under the new name.

The girl on the card looked back at me, her eyes clear and free of fear.

I set the card down, took a deep breath of the warm, dry air, and for the first time in years, I slept without dreaming of running.