Chapter 47

• Cynthia sat quietly on her bed, her hands resting on her lap. Her room, once a place of warmth and quiet dreams, now felt unfamiliar—like a space she no longer belonged to. She looked around slowly, trying to understand why everything felt so strange. Maybe because her heart was in a strange place too.
• She had tried many times to talk to Ken… to ask him why. Why had he stood up for her? Why had he covered for her when she disappeared? She was sure he knew. Somehow, he must have found out she had been sneaking out of the house. But how much did he really know?
• Each time she tried to get close, he would roll away from her. Not with anger but with distance. A quiet, painful wall that shut her out completely. She had reached for him in small ways, through words, gestures, and even food, but he wouldn't let her in.