“We’re going home,” she said quietly.
The car pulled onto the road, carrying them back toward a house filled with silence, secrets, and a bonds that were slowly being torn apart, one unspoken truth at a time.
--
The moment the car stopped in front of the house, Iva unbuckled her seatbelt with mechanical movements, her body moving on instinct rather than will. She did not wait, did not look back, did not say a word.
She opened the door and stepped out.
Rana watched in silence as her daughter crossed the small yard and went straight inside, her shoulders slightly hunched, as if she were bracing against a storm that never truly passed.
Iva did not come to the kitchen.
She did not pause at the counter, did not perch on the stool she always claimed as hers, did not start talking the mom
