“She’s not here,” Samantha said quietly, her voice, carrying more weight than volume.
Nanny Sunnie didn’t look surprised, her gaze was steady and almost knowing.
“Some people leave... when the truth starts to surface.”
The words settled into Samantha like stones, it was heavy and undeniable. She felt them press against her ribs; against the silence that had haunted every corner of the White House, the empty chair at the table, and the way conversations faltered when Elise’s name hovered unspoken.
“It doesn’t feel like she left,” Samantha confessed, her fingers tightened against the balcony rail. “It feels like she moved. Like a piece on the board shifting.”
Nanny Sunnie tilted her head, her expression soft but sharp. Samantha’s chest tightened. Elise was gone. And yet her shad
