Janessa felt something seismic shift inside her. It was instinct. It was empathy. It was rage disguised as tenderness. She drew him into her arms, pulling him close. His body stiffened at first, unused to comfort, then slowly softened. He pressed his face into her uniform and inhaled like it was the first breath of his life that did not hurt.
“It is alright,” she murmured. “I am here. I am right here.”
He clung to her like she was the last thing tethering him to the world. She could feel every tremor of his small body, every heartbeat like a frightened bird trapped in a cage.
Upstairs, voices began to rise. Doors opened. Footsteps pounded. The household was stirring with agitation, but none of it was directed at the suffering child. The commotion was about something else entirely, financial urgency, meetings, appointments, schedules. Everything except the thing that mattered most.
Janessa pressed a hand to Cody’s back. “Stand up with me. Can you do that.”
He nodded. His legs wobbled but he stood. His hand sought hers with a desperation that made her chest ache.
“You cannot stay here,” he said. His voice cracked. “They do not want me. They just want me quiet. They want me invisible.”
Janessa knew he meant his father. Bryce Bram, a billionaire investor whose face graced magazines and business programs. Bryce who owned companies and private jets and enough land to swallow small towns. Bryce who barely looked at his son. Bryce who believed money was a substitute for love.
There was also Delphine Sutter, the father’s fiancée, whose smile was a weapon sharpened by contempt. Delphine who glided through the mansion as though she owned the world. Delphine who told staff to keep Cody occupied, which was code for keep him out of sight.
Janessa had seen too much. Cody eating alone at the end of long tables while adults talked over him. Cody trying to show a drawing to his father only for Bryce to wave him away because he was on a call. Cody reaching for Delphine’s hand only to be met with a flinch, as though affection were poisonous.
Janessa had not planned what she did next. She did not think. She acted.
“Come with me,” she said, her voice suddenly sharp with resolve. “Right now.”
Cody blinked up at her. “Where.”
“Somewhere they will not find you. Not yet. Just trust me.”
He hesitated for one heartbeat. Then he nodded.