Lily’s POV

The car ride home was silent.

Not the heavy, expectant kind of silence that usually filled the space between arguments. This one was colder. Emptier. Mom’s hands stayed tight on the steering wheel the entire way. She didn’t glance at either of us in the rearview mirror. She didn’t speak. The only sound was the low hum of the engine and the occasional soft click of the turn signal.

I sat by the window, watching the familiar streets blur past. Beside me, Mia had stopped crying the moment the school gates disappeared behind us. The tears were gone as if they had never existed. Her cheek still carried...