It was the same voice she had heard not too long ago, the same voice she dreaded, the same person she prayed not to meet.
Stephanie froze mid-step. Her breath caught in her throat as her head turned towards the direction of the voice, from the couch not too far away from where she stood. The walls around where he sat could not be seen, darkness swallowed everything in sight.
She didn’t need to see his face to know who it was, though, the bitter taste of recognition crawled over her skin, making her stomach turn.
She didn’t say a word, nor did he, at least not immediately. The silence stretched on between them, thick and suffocating, the only sound was the faint ticking of the clock somewhere on the wall.
Then, at last, his voice broke the silence through the darkness. “Welcome home, my
