Chapter 14: Shadows of the Past
The following weeks settled into a rhythm that felt almost miraculous to Jax. Mornings began with oatmeal and coffee in the small apartment, followed by the twelve-minute walk to Lincoln Elementary School. Afternoons were filled with schoolyard stories, homework at the wooden desk, and occasional trips to the local park where Leo kicked a soccer ball while Jax watched from a park bench, his heavy leather vest draped over his knees.
Even Sarah Vance’s bi-weekly inspections had become routine. Her unannounced visits now resulted in checked boxes, approving nods, and occasionally a cup of coffee shared at the kitchen table as they discussed Leo’s rising reading grades. The sixty-day provisional custody order was ticking down toward its final week, but the looming threat of the courtroom felt increasingly like a distant memory rather than an impending storm.
Then, on a damp Thursday evening, the illusion of absolute safety was abruptly punctured.
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Jax and Leo were walking back from the corner grocery store, carrying a brown paper bag filled with milk, bread, and apples. The streetlights flickered to life as a heavy
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