(Scarlett's POV)
It's been a busy day at the bakery today, but a good one. I exhale deeply, wiping flour-dusted hands on my apron, as the last customer of the afternoon finally leaves.
"Lily, sweetheart," I call out, expecting to hear her little voice respond from the back room where she usually plays with her coloring books while I work. "Are you ready to go home?"
Silence.
My heart skips, but I tell myself she's probably just absorbed in her drawings. Lily gets lost in her art sometimes, completely oblivious to the world around her.
"Lily?" I call again, walking toward the back room.
Empty.
The coloring books are scattered across the small table, crayons rolling on the floor like she left in a hurry. Her juice box sits half-empty, still cold.
"Lily!" My voice echoes through the e
