Chapter 156

Kelly POV

Weeks had passed since Susan and I saw Mrs. Kim with Kate. The sight of them together had left a strange feeling in my chest, an unsettling weight that wouldn’t go away. I had always trusted Mrs. Kim, always thought of her as someone important in my life. But after everything I had discovered recently, I wasn’t sure I could ignore the possibility that she knew more than she let on.

And then, just as I worked up the courage to ask her, she left.

“I’m traveling to the countryside for a while,” she had told me casually over the phone. “I need some time away.”

It felt like an excuse, like she was running from something. Maybe even running from me. But now she was back. Susan and I stood outside her door, the air filled with tension between us. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I knew I couldn’t keep pretending like nothing had happened.

I knocked.

After a moment, the door creaked open, and there she was, Mrs. Kim, looking as if