Blanche's POV
After Zain headed upstairs, I remained seated in the dining room, motionless.
Time seemed to blur together—my body grew stiff and cold before I finally decided to go up.
Since nothing could be changed, I might as well accept reality.
Dwelling on it served no purpose.
I pushed myself up, stretched my cramped muscles, and climbed the stairs.
Walking past Carry's room, I spotted her door hanging slightly open.
I'd stepped through that doorway so many times before.
Back then, I never hesitated.
Now, everything held me back.
I feared Carry might reject me, worried she'd burst into tears the second she saw me, but what really terrified me was the thought of my own daughter screaming at me.
So I stopped myself, fighting the impulse to enter.
I pressed my lips together and continued toward the guest room.
But I'd barely moved when Carry's whining voice drifted through the gap in her door: "Daddy, I want to see Miss Joanna. Can we go find her?"
