But he wasn’t there.
Then I noticed the thin strip of light beneath Mia’s bedroom door.
A muffled voice drifted through the woods.
Another answered.
Furniture scraped across the floor.
My stomach tightened.
I walked down the hallway, my pulse pounding in my ears.
The door wasn’t completely closed. I eased it open just enough to look inside.
A woman I had never seen before stood beside my daughter’s bed.
She had silver hair gathered into a loose bun and wore a pale blue nightgown beneath an oversized cardigan.
Kyle was helping her straighten a bedside table.
Boxes filled half the room.
Mia’s bookshelf had disappeared.
Her desk sat against another wall.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
Kyle spun around.
Shock flashed across his face.
“Alice.”
