Chapter 2 - THE DOOR
“Daddy!”
The door flew open.
Mateo came running first.
Daniel didn’t move.
He couldn’t.
For eighty-nine days, he had imagined this moment so many times that seeing it happen felt impossible.
Then Mateo slammed into him.
Daniel dropped to his knees.
His arms wrapped around his son so hard that the boy squeaked.
“Dad, you’re crushing me!”
Daniel laughed.
Then broke.
The sound that came out of him wasn’t a laugh anymore.
It was three months of anger, fear, shame, and loneliness leaving his body all at once.
“Oh, God,” he whispered. “Come here. Come here.”
Sofia reached them next.
She was crying before Daniel even touched her.
“Dad.”
“My girl.”
He pulled her against his chest.
“You got taller.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
“You always say that.”
“Because you always do.”
Then Daniel looked up.
Elena stood in the doorway.
She wasn’t smiling.
She had one hand over her mouth.
Daniel stood slowly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The room disappeared.
The officers disappeared.
The jail disappeared.
There was only his wife.
“Elena.”
She crossed the room in three steps and hit him in the chest.
Hard.
Daniel blinked.
“You idiot!” she cried.
Then she hit him again.
“You absolute idiot!”
“I know.”
“You told me not to worry!”
“I know.”
“You told me you’d be home in two days!”
“I thought I would.”
“You said the police would figure it out!”
“I thought they would.”
She hit him one more time.
Then collapsed into his arms.
Daniel held her while she sobbed into his shirt.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“No. No, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For every night I got angry at you for not being home.”
Daniel pulled back.
“Hey. Look at me.”
Her eyes were red.
“This is not on you.”
Sofia tugged his sleeve.
“Can we cut the cake before Mom punches you again?”
Daniel laughed through tears.
Even Officer Collins smiled.
For the next twenty minutes, the room felt almost normal.
Mateo covered his slice in extra frosting.
Sofia complained that jail cake was somehow better than grocery-store cake.
Elena kept touching Daniel’s arm like she needed proof that he was really there.
Daniel noticed two other officers standing outside.
Watching.
Waiting.
That part bothered him.
He leaned toward Collins.
“How long do we have?”
Her smile disappeared.
“Thirty minutes.”
Daniel looked at the clock.
Nine were already gone.
His heart sank.
Mateo heard.
“That’s it?”
Collins crouched beside him.
“I’m sorry, buddy.”
Mateo’s face changed.
“No.”
“Mateo,” Elena said softly.
“No!”
He grabbed Daniel’s shirt.
“You said Dad was coming home soon.”
Daniel looked at Elena.
She looked away.
Something was wrong.
Daniel felt it immediately.
“Elena?”
She didn’t answer.
“What happened?”
“Not here.”
His voice hardened.
“What happened?”
Sofia suddenly started crying.
Daniel turned toward her.
“Sof?”
She wiped her face.
“They’re moving you.”
The room went dead silent.
Daniel looked at Collins.
“What?”
Collins closed her eyes.
Daniel stood.
“What did she just say?”
Elena grabbed his hand.
“Daniel, please.”
“Where am I being moved?”
Collins spoke quietly.
“State facility.”
“When?”
No one answered.
Daniel looked around the room.
“When?”
Officer Baker appeared at the door.
“Transport leaves in forty minutes.”
Mateo tightened both arms around his father.
“No!”
Daniel stared at the cake.
At the candles.
At his crying children.
Then at Officer Collins.
“You brought them here to say goodbye.”
Collins swallowed.
“Yes.”
Daniel’s face went cold.
“And you didn’t think I deserved to know?”
“I was trying to give you one good memory.”
Daniel stepped toward her.
“I don’t need a memory.”
His voice shook.
“I need my family.”
Then the hallway radio cracked to life.
“Collins, hold transport on Reyes.”
Everyone froze.
A second voice came through.
“Repeat. Do not move Daniel Reyes.”
Daniel stared at Collins.
“Why?”
She slowly reached for the radio.
May you like
And before she could answer, someone shouted from downstairs:
“They found the truck.”
