The night the hydrant exploded, it felt like the universe itself had finally said, “Enough.” Watching that torrent of water drench the car of the man who’d laughed at my son’s heartbreak, I felt a strange mix of fear, vindication, and something close to awe. Nick hadn’t set a trap to hurt him; he’d simply put something precious exactly where it had every right to be, and let the man’s own carelessness do the rest.

In the days that followed, our yard slowly froze and healed. The city fixed the hydrant. The ruts in the grass faded. What stayed was the change in the way our neighbor drove, and the way my son stood a little taller. Boundaries, I realized, aren’t always quiet conversations or polite reminders. Sometimes they’re a bright red line, buried in snow, waiting for someone to finally hit the limit.