That morning, as the sunlight gently pierced through the thin curtains in her apartment, Evelyn sat, lost in thought, staring at the glowing screen of her phone. She had read the brief message from her father multiple times, but it still pierced her chest every time.

> "Father wants you to come home. Just for a little while. There’s something we need to talk about, Evelyn."

Her hands trembled slightly as she placed the phone down on the table. Her heart resisted. Returning to that house meant reopening old wounds—wounds she had hidden under hard work and resilience. That house hadn’t been a safe place since her mother passed. It...