Chapter 130 The needed escape

Katelyn’s POV The airport was buzzing with life, crowded with people, but to me, it all passed like a blur. I walked quietly, head lowered, moving through the crowd like a ghost. I hadn’t told Ethan I was leaving. I couldn’t. Not after everything. My parents were waiting near the gate. Lucas stood between them, holding a tiny backpack with bright colors and dinosaurs on it. He saw me and ran over, hugging me tightly, his little arms wrapping around my waist with a kind of silent desperation that almost made me cry. “Are you going on a big mission?” he asked, tilting his head. I nodded. “Just for a while. Be good for Grandma and Grandpa, okay?” He pouted. “Will you send me pictures?” “Every week,” I promised, touching his cheek. My mother stepped forward and kissed me on the forehead, her voice trembling slightly. “Just know we’d always love you.” Dad didn’t say much. He just pulled me into a hug and held me there longer than usual. “Be safe. No story is worth your life,” he murmured in