Not running.
Not hiding.
Waiting.
“You knew this would happen,” Daniel said.
Leo nodded.
“They don’t let people leave,” he said.
That confirmed control.
Emily’s grip tightened.
“No.”
Single word.
Rejection.
Daniel made the final decision.
“You’re not going back.”
Absolute.
Leo looked at him.
This time differently.
Not just evaluating.
Trust beginning.
“You can’t stop them forever,” Leo said.
Daniel responded immediately.
“I don’t need forever.”
Pause.
“I need enough.”
That was the difference.
Time.
Time to change the system.
