Chapter 2: Re-entry
The door opened before she knocked.
Her mother’s reaction was immediate and unfiltered. No composure. No control. Years of suppressed emotion surfaced without structure.
Her father remained behind her, less expressive but equally destabilized.
They focused on the child first.
Predictable.
The grandson represented continuity without conflict. A point of connection that required no justification.
She entered the house without commentary.
Same furniture layout.
Same smell.
No emotional resonance.
The place held memory, but not identity.
