Amelia’s POV

Silence.

It was the silence that woke me. The house was never this quiet in the morning—not with Lila around. Usually, I’d hear the soft patter of her feet, the creak of her door as she tried to sneak into mine, or her little hums as she dressed her doll.

But today, there was nothing.

A chill ran through me as I slipped out of bed. My bare feet hit the cold floor, and an unease I couldn’t name twisted inside me. I pulled my robe tighter around me and crossed the hall ...