Chapter 20

We got home late in the afternoon. The car ride had been quiet. Benjamin held my hand the whole way, and my mother sat in the backseat, staring out the window like the city didn't exist. It's been so long since she saw the city. Everything looked new to her.

Benjamin opened the front door, and two of his men helped my mother out of the car. She was wrapped in a soft cloak, her feet barely touching the floor as they guided her through the living room. She didn't say a word, but her eyes scanned every corner like she was trying to remember what normal felt like.

I followed close behind, not speaking either. They took her to the guest room and made sure she was settled. The doctor who checked her at the hospital said she needed rest and good food more than anything.

It was still hard to believe that my mother had survived so many years of silence, locked away like a secret nobody was meant to find.

Once she was lying down, I closed the door quietl