Soon they disappeared among the trees.

I lost them.

I drove straight to the nearest police station and told the officer everything.

“Why would he run from you?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But please help me find him before he disappears again.”

“I’ll send out an alert, ma’am.”

I sat there waiting.

Every time the station door opened, my body tensed.

My thoughts kept circling the same questions: What if he’s already gone? What if he caught a bus? What if that was my only chance?

Close to midnight, the officer approached me.

“We found him. He was near the bus terminal. They’re bringing him here now.”

Relief washed over me so suddenly I felt dizzy.

“And the girl?” I asked.

“He was alone.”

They brought Daniel into a small interview room.

I didn’t realize I was crying until tears blurred my vision.

“You’re alive,” I said. “Do you know how worried I’ve been? And when I finally saw you… why did you run from me?”

He kept his eyes fixed on the table.

“I didn’t run from you.”

“Then what—”

“I ran because of Maya.”

And then he told me everything.

In the weeks leading up to Daniel’s disappearance, Maya had opened up to him. She said her stepfather had grown increasingly volatile and unpredictable. Almost every evening he shouted, slammed doors, and smashed things around the house.

“She said she couldn’t stay there anymore,” Daniel said quietly. “She was scared.”