I didn't realize how final it would feel until the moment Lucian walked past me.
Not just a few steps.
But far enough that the space between us stopped feeling temporary.
An officer opened the door of another car down the road. Lucian paused beside it, his silhouette outlined by the headlights cutting through the darkness.
For a second, I thought he might turn back.
Look at me again.
Say something.
But he didn't.
He got into the car.
The door shut with a dull, heavy sound.
And the engine started.
I stood there frozen, my mind trying to catch up with what was happening.
"No," I said quietly.
Marcus Hale placed a steady hand on my shoulder.
"Adrian."
I pulled away from him instantly.
"Where are they taking him?"
"Somewhere safe for the night."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I can give you right now."
The car carrying Lucian began to move.
Slowly at first.
Then turning onto the road that led away from the hill.
Away from the crash site.
Away from me.
"Wait," I said suddenly, stepping forward.
But an officer gently stopped me.
"You can't go with him."
"Why not?"
"Because arrangements have already been made."
Those words again.
Arrangements.
Plans.
Decisions made without us.
The car disappeared around the curve.
Just like that.
Lucian was gone.
And the silence that followed felt louder than any argument we had just had.
For the first time that night, the reality of everything crashed down on me all at once.
My parents were gone.
My brother was gone.
And I was standing on a road that no longer felt like home.
Marcus spoke again, quieter now.
"We should leave."
I didn't answer.
My eyes were still fixed on the empty road.
"Adrian," he repeated gently.
I finally looked at him.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To a place where you'll be safe."
"That's what everyone keeps saying."
"And it's still true."
I studied him for a moment.
There was something calm about Marcus Hale — something that made people want to believe him.
But tonight had proven something important.
Adults could be wrong.
Adults could misunderstand.
Adults could break things that mattered.
"Are they going to arrest Lucian?" I asked.
Marcus's expression shifted slightly.
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Then why are they treating him like that?"
Marcus paused before answering.
"Because sometimes when something terrible happens, people look for the closest explanation first."
"That's not fair."
"No," he agreed quietly. "It isn't."
For a moment, I thought he might say more.
But instead, he gestured toward his car.
"Come with me."
I hesitated.
The road behind him led away from everything I had ever known.
But staying here wasn't an option anymore.
I walked slowly toward the car.
The night air felt colder now.
The emergency lights were fading as the last responders finished clearing the area.
Soon, even this place would look normal again.
Like nothing had happened.
Marcus opened the passenger door for me.
I stopped just before getting in.
"Will I see him again?" I asked.
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
And that hesitation made my chest tighten again.
Then he said something carefully.
"Yes."
But even at twelve years old…
I could hear the uncertainty hiding inside that promise.
I got into the car.
Marcus closed the door gently.
A moment later, he took the driver's seat and started the engine.
We drove away from the hill.
Away from the broken guardrail.
Away from the place where everything had ended.
As the road stretched out ahead of us, I realized something I wouldn't fully understand until much later.
That night wasn't just the night our parents died.
It was the night someone succeeded in doing exactly what they had planned all along.
They separated us.