Richard’s POV
It had been months since I last saw her. weeks of bitter silence, guilt, and unanswered questions eating at me like termites in rotten wood.
Every time I read the headlines about my daughter, Elina, I felt the same sharp stab to my chest. The newspapers said one thing, Elijah said another, and the rest was wrapped up in whispers I could never piece together. Elina had gone missing into hidden shadows I could never reach, and as her father, I was left empty and powerless.
I returned to town with a weight heavier than before. My footsteps dragged as I entered the quiet estate garden where I was told Laura often spent her afternoons.
There she was. Still perfect and beautiful as ever, blonde hair, pink lips and soft features.
She was sitting on a white iron bench surrounde
