Chapter 4: The Return to Ashwood Estate
Ashwood Estate had not changed.
But it felt like a grave now.
Caroline, Daniel, and Amelia stood at the gates as thunder rolled above the manor.
“This is where it happened,” Caroline said.
Amelia’s chest tightened. “I don’t remember anything before the orphanage.”
“That’s because trauma buried it,” Caroline replied softly. “But memory doesn’t disappear. It waits.”
Inside the house, rooms were reopened for the first time in years.
And then—
Amelia stopped in the hallway.
Her breath hitched.
A faint image flashed in her mind: a yellow dress… laughter… a woman singing by a window.
She staggered.
Caroline caught her immediately.
“Yes,” Caroline whispered, tears filling her eyes. “That’s it. That’s you.”
Amelia collapsed into her arms.
May you like
For the first time in twenty years, Caroline held her daughter again.
And did not let go.
