#Chapter 345: Late Night Frights

The hotel room felt stifling, suffocating me with its oppressive silence. I paced back and forth, my nerves stretched taut like a wire ready to snap. Timothy had been gone for what felt like an eternity, and with each passing moment, my anxiety mounted like a rising tide. When the door finally swung open, relief flooded through me like a cool breeze on a sweltering day. Timothy stepped inside, his expression a mixture of concern and weariness. He greeted me with a soft smile, but it faltered as soon as he caught sight of the distress etched into every line of my face. "Evie," he said softly, his voice laced with worry. "What's wrong? Did you find her?" I opened my mouth to speak, to spill out all the fears and doubts that had been gnawing at me since my mother’s true face was revealed. But the words caught in my throat, suffocated by the weight of my own uncertainty. Timothy crossed the room in a few quick strides, pulling me into his arms with a tenderness that made my heart ache.