.
She stepped out from the shadows, thinner, tired, but alive. Tears blurred my vision as she whispered, “I knew you’d find the message.” I wrapped her in a trembling hug. She finally explained everything—how she’d witnessed something suspicious in her own home, how she hadn’t known whom to trust, how she’d left clues only I would understand. We sat beneath the oak as the first stars brightened, planning what to do next—together. The bill, the message, the hidden note—they weren’t just clues. They were her way of reaching out for hope, and I was determined not to let her face the darkness alone.
