The days after I returned home passed strangely slow and heavy, yet full. A lot happened.My mom barely left my side. She hovered over me like she was afraid I might disappear again if she blinked for too long. She even took a few days off work just to be there for me, cooking my favorite meals, checking on me constantly, touching my hair like she needed reassurance that I was real.At some point, the police came.They sat across from me in the living room, their eyes sharp but cautious, asking me what had happened during the time I was missing. I told them the lie I had practiced over and over in my head, that I had gotten lost in the woods and couldn’t find my way home.They didn’t fully believe me. I could see it in their faces. But they couldn’t force the truth out of me either. So they eventually left.Quinn came over every single day. She filled the silence with her voice, her laughter, her presence—trying to make up for the lost time between us. She told stories about everythin
Last Updated : 2025-12-29 Read more