Chapter 92. False Hope

“Mom!”

Celia didn’t answer directly. Instead, she let out a long yawn, her lashes fluttering as she rolled onto her side. “It’s late, I’m so sleepy. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”

Without waiting for a response, she tugged the blanket higher, burrowing back into its warmth. Her eyes closed almost immediately, her breathing evening out, deliberately shutting her mother out.

Mrs. Ryder stood there, unmoving.

She studied her daughter’s flawless profile—the smooth curve of her cheek, the calmness that looked a little too practiced. The longer she watched, the tighter her chest felt. That casual dismissal, that effortless retreat… something about it didn’t sit right.

Suspicion crept in quietly, like a chill down her spine.

After a long moment, she sighed. Whatever doubts linge