Harry took her to a quiet cliffside viewpoint in Homalia, a place where the city lights glittered below like fallen stars, and the ocean wind softened the noise in her head. The moment they stepped out of the car, the cool breeze brushed against her bare arms.
Airam shivered.
Harry noticed instantly. He didn't say a word.
He simply stepped closer and draped his coat around her shoulders, firm, gentle, leaving no room for argument.
Airam tried to shrug it off. "I don't need..."
Harry held it there, steady. "Just wear it," he said softly.
And something in his voice, warm, quiet, stubborn, made her stop resisting.
She pulled the coat tighter around herself.
Harry didn't invade her space, he leaned against the railing a short distance away, giving her time to breathe. Then he reached into his pocket and took out his phone.
"What are you doing?" Airam asked quietly.
"Calling your family," he said gently. "You need them."
Before she could argue, he had already hit the video call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then Jane's face filled the screen, eyes wide, hair messy from rushing to the phone.
"Airam!" Jane gasped.
Her voice alone made Airam's chest crack.
"I'm so sorry, Airee. Harry told us you saw him. Oh, thank God you're not alone."
Before Airam could say a word, Laila appeared beside Jane, pushing her face into the frame.
"Oh dear, are you okay?" Laila asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"I'm fine," Airam whispered.
She wasn't.
But hearing them made her heartbeat slow, her breath deepen.
Her mother suddenly joined the screen, her eyes warm and worried.
"My daughter…" she breathed. "I know you are angry. You have every right. But he is still your father...your blood. Something you can't change or erase… even if you want."
Airam's eyes filled despite herself.
"Mama," she said softly, shaking her head. "Don't you say that. Please. No woman should ever have to endure what you did."
Her mother's eyes flickered with guilt.
"I really tried to endure. And I'm sorry... Sorry, I had to take all of you and leave."
"Don't apologize," Airam said firmly.
"We are who we are because you saved us. Don't think for a second that our lives would have been better if he had stayed. Karim might have gone to find him, that's his choice. But our life now… It's not perfect, but it's ours. And we're proud of where we are."
Her mother pressed her lips together, trying not to cry.
Laila wiped tears.
Jane sniffed loudly.
Jane finally cleared her throat.
"So… when are you coming back, anyway?"
"In a couple of days," Airam replied.
"Good," Jane said. "And if you run into him again, just call me. At least he owes Mom child support for like ten years. Plus, Mom and he never divorced. Do you think we can run him dry if Mom files for divorce?"
"Are you CRAZY?!" Airam, Laila, and their mother shouted in perfect harmony.
Jane held up her hands.
"Okay, okay! I was just joking....mostly."
Even Harry laughed quietly where he stood.
And for the first time that day…
Airam smiled. A tiny, tired smile, but real.
Her family.
Her anchor.
Her strength.
They talked a little more, checking on her, cracking jokes, reminding her she wasn't alone, never was, never would be.
When the call ended, Airam lowered her head, letting the silence wrap around her.
Harry approached slowly, carefully.
"You feel a little lighter?" he asked.
She didn't answer. But she didn't need to. Her shoulders had dropped. Her breathing wasn't sharp anymore.
The storm inside her had quieted, just a little.
Harry stood beside her, hands in his pockets, leaning on the railing next to her without touching, without crowding, just… being there.
And for Airam, who had spent her whole life holding herself up, his presence alone felt like a relief she wasn't ready to admit.