Chapter 5: Haven in the Mountains
Three days of continuous bus rides brought them to Pine Ridge, a small, fog-shrouded mountain town near the northern border. It was a place untouched by high-society gossip and far removed from the grand galas of the city.
Clara rented a tiny, furnished studio cabin at the edge of the woods using cash. The cabin was humble—a wood-burning stove, a small kitchenette, and two twin beds—but to Toby, it was a palace.
For the first few weeks, Clara worked under the radar. She took up a job at a local diner, washing dishes during early morning shifts while a kind elderly neighbor named Mrs. Gable watched Toby.
Free from the pressure and coldness of his former home, Toby began to transform. The color returned to his pale cheeks. With Clara’s constant encouragement, he started spending hours outside on the small wooden porch, breathing in the crisp mountain air.
""Look, Clara! A blue jay!"" Toby cheered one afternoon, pointing to a pine tree. It was the first time Clara had heard him laugh genuinely—a light, musical sound that filled her heart with warmth.
""It's beautiful, Toby,"" Clara said, walking out with two cups of hot cocoa. She sat next to his wheelchair, wrapping a blanket over his lap.
""I like it here,"" Toby murmured, taking a sip. ""Nobody is mad at me for being slow. And you're always here.""
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Clara smiled, though a heavy weight lingered in her chest. She had seen the missing person notices online. The Ashefords had spun a narrative to the media: Devastated wealthy parents search for kidnapped disabled son taken by unhinged maid.
She was a fugitive in the eyes of the law, but looking at Toby’s smiling face, she knew she had made the right choice.
