Seraphina folded the last hoodie into her bag slowly, her movements quiet against the suffocating silence filling the apartment.
The room smelled faintly of dust and cold coffee.
Outside the window, evening rain drizzled softly against the streets, turning the city gray and blurry.
Her mother still hadn't come home.
Seraphina paused briefly and glanced toward the door again, as though expecting it to suddenly open.
Yet, nothing happened.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Earlier that morning, she had tried calling three times but there was no answer.
After that, she sent a message.
"Mom, I'm going back to school today"
Her message was seen by nobody. Replied by nobody.
At first, she waited. Then she kept waiting. Hours passed. Still nothing.
A bitter smile touched her lips as she zipped her bag shut.
Somehow, she wasn't even surprised anymore. The apartment no longer felt like home.
It felt like a place filled with unfinished grief and exhausted silence.
