The house had grown quieter over the past few months.
Too quiet.
Evelyn sat at the dining table early that morning, staring at the cup of tea in front of her that had already gone cold.
Across the room, her younger children were getting ready for school.
But even their small voices couldn't fill the emptiness in the house anymore.
"Mom?"
One of them looked at her carefully.
"When is Stephanie coming back?"
Evelyn felt the familiar pain tighten in her chest.
It was the same question.
Every day.
Every night.
And each time, she had no answer.
"I don't know yet," she replied softly.
The child looked disappointed but nodded.
After they left for school, the house became silent again.
Evelyn slowly walked upstairs and pushed open the door to Stephanie's room.
Everything was exactly the way it had been left.
Her bed.
Her books.
Her small mirror on the table.
Evelyn walked inside and gently sat on the edge of the bed.
She picked up one of Stephanie's old photographs from the table.
Her daughter's bright smile stared back at her.
Tears slowly filled Evelyn's eyes.
"Where are you, my child?" she whispered.
Lately, Evelyn had begun praying more than she ever had before.
Every morning.
Every night.
Sometimes in the middle of the day when the pain became too heavy.
She knelt beside the bed and clasped her hands together.
"Please, God," she whispered.
"Wherever my daughter is… protect her."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Keep her safe until she finds her way back home."
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Stephanie was also lying awake in the small apartment she shared with Maya.
The room was quiet except for the soft sound of cars passing outside.
Stephanie stared at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts.
"I miss home," she suddenly said softly.
Maya turned toward her on the mat.
"You're thinking about your mom again?"
Stephanie nodded.
"I miss her."
Her voice carried a deep sadness.
For a moment, she stayed silent.
Then another thought crossed her mind.
A painful one.
"She hasn't even tried to find me," Stephanie said quietly.
Maya frowned.
"You don't know that."
Stephanie sighed.
"It's been months."
She turned her face toward the wall.
"If she really cared… she would have come looking for me."
The words hurt even as she said them.
But deep inside, that was what she believed.
Meanwhile, far away in another country…
Her mother was kneeling beside her bed.
Praying for her safety.
Every single day.