I returned to my room after the emotional phone call with my mother, feeling both lighter and heavier at the same time.
Hearing their voices had filled me with love, but it also reminded me how far away home was. How alone I truly was in this big, cold mansion. My eyes were still red and puffy as I closed the door behind me.
I changed into my nightdress and was about to climb into bed when I noticed something on the floor near the entrance.
Three books.
They were stacked neatly just inside the door, as if someone had quietly pushed them through while I was gone. A soft cream ribbon tied them together. My heart skipped a beat. I looked around the room, half expecting someone to be hiding, but I was alone.
I knelt down and picked them up carefully, like they might disappear if I moved t
