Amelia POV

Lila’s room was too neat. Too still.

I sat on the edge of her bed, the pink blanket tucked perfectly where she’d left it, the dolls lined up in a row like quiet sentries. The air smelled faintly of her lavender lotion and crayons, as if her laughter might echo out of the walls if I just listened hard enough.

But there was no laughter. Just silence. A silence that pressed into me until my chest felt tight, my throat raw.

I reached for the little stuffed rabbit she ...