Their flashes went off, but the light felt distant and harmless now.

We climbed back into the truck and left the noise behind.

We drove to a private academy on the outskirts of the city.

It was a beautiful campus with red brick buildings and large oak trees losing their leaves.

The headmaster met us in the lobby and showed us to his office.

He was a kind man who did not ask about the trial or the headlines.

Within an hour, my enrollment was finalized, and my tuition was paid in full.

As we walked back to the truck, the sun began to break through the grey clouds.

“Are you happy, Sophie?” my father asked, unlocking the truck doors.

“Yes,” I said, looking at the peaceful campus.

“I am.”

We drove back to our small house in the suburbs.

It was the modest house we had lived in while he was pretending to be a broke handyman.

He had bought it with his own savings, and it was entirely ours.

We walked inside, and our golden retriever greeted us at the door, wagging his tail.