Chapter 14 - BREAKFAST
“It’s probably bad now,” Noah said.
Daniel looked at the flattened bread and laughed through the ache in his throat. “Probably.”
“I kept it because that was the day you came back.”
Daniel found a clean container for it. He did not tell Noah that food could not stay in the refrigerator forever. They had already lost too many things. The sandwich could wait until morning.
That night Noah woke from a bad dream. Daniel sat on the edge of his bed while he caught his breath.
“I dreamed you walked past me again,” Noah said.
“I’m here.”
“You didn’t see me the first time.”
Daniel remembered the gate, the rain, the bag falling from his hand. “I was looking at the ground. I thought you were with Aunt Rachel, and I was scared you might not want to see me.”
“I waited every day.”
“I know.”
Noah picked at the edge of his blanket. “What if somebody makes you go away again?”
Daniel wanted to promise that nothing would ever change. He had learned what promises like that could cost a child.
“I’ll follow the rules. I’ll keep working. And if something worries me, I’ll tell you instead of hiding it. We have Aunt Rachel and the Bells, too. You won’t have to figure things out alone.”
Noah nodded. “Okay.”
In the morning, they made fresh sandwiches and took one to Rachel. On the way, Daniel received a message from Priya: the court had approved his custody arrangement, with follow-up visits scheduled.
He read it twice.
Noah saw his face. “Good news?”
“The best kind.”
May you like
Then another message arrived. The prosecutor wanted to speak with Daniel about Victor’s original case. They had found evidence that other workers had been blamed for Victor’s thefts.
Daniel glanced at Noah. Telling the truth would mean facing that night at the warehouse all over again.
