Chapter 19 Mia

• The hotel lobby felt too quiet as I walked in, the air thick with unspoken tension. After what felt like an eternity—thirty minutes at most—I finally reached my parents. They were on me in seconds, their arms wrapping around me, the relief palpable. The knot of worry in my stomach loosened just a little. At least they were safe.
• “Where were you?” my mom asked, pulling back to look at me, her face a mix of confusion and concern. “You didn’t say anything about leaving. And why are you still wearing the clothes you came here in?” Her gaze swept over my outfit—combat boots, jacket still streaked with dirt from earlier. “I thought you were going to bed after dinner.”
• My throat tightened. Caught. I’d told them I was tired, practically falling asleep at the table. I even helped clear up after dinner, using exhaustion as an excuse to slip away. Now, here I was, standing in front of them like I’d been dragged from the middle of a battlefield.