Emma couldn't sleep without her children in the house.
She lay awake at 3 AM staring at the ceiling, listening to the silence where Daniel's occasional nightmares and Lily's baby monitor sounds should be. The penthouse felt enormous and empty, every shadow a potential threat, every creak of the building settling a possible intruder.
Alexander was awake too—she could tell from his breathing, from the tension in his body beside her.
"We should talk about contingencies," Alexander said quietly into the darkness. "If the threats escalate. If Aegis or whoever hired them moves beyond surveillance."
"What kind of contingencies?" Emma's voice was hollow.
"Relocation. Not just the kids. All of us. There are countries with strong witness protection programs, places we could disappear to if necessary." Alexander turned to face her. "Emma, I've been researching. We could relocate to New Zealand, to Norway, to—"
