The sound of sirens didn’t come immediately, but when it finally reached the street outside, the shift inside the restaurant was instant. Heads turned toward the windows. The polished calm of Willow & Vine fractured completely.

Kyle stepped back from the table as if distance could erase what had happened. Sharon stood too quickly, knocking her napkin to the floor, suddenly interested in pretending none of this belonged to her.

Two officers entered through the front door, scanning the room with practiced focus. I lifted my phone slightly so they could see I was the caller. Hannah stayed close behind me, her breathing uneven but real again—no longer swallowed by silence.

When Kyle tried to speak first, the officer raised a hand. “We’ll hear everything,” he said. And just like that, control left Kyle completely-