Chapter 42: A Quiet Return

Amelia’s POV The city flickered past the window—lights and shadows bleeding into one another—an ever-changing blur of movement that Amelia didn’t truly see. Her gaze was fixed, but unfocused, caught somewhere between the motion outside and the ache inside. Her hands rested quietly in her lap, fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves, twisting gently at the seams. The bracelet was gone. Her phone too. But around her neck hung her mother’s necklace—warmed by her skin, weighty with memory, steadying her in a world that no longer felt safe. Jessica said nothing—and Amelia was grateful. It wasn’t an awkward silence. It was intentional. Sacred. The kind that only exists between people who understand that words can be too much. Jessica didn’t question why she suddenly needed to come here