The car ride home is silent. Tense. The weight of everything that’s happened sits heavy in your chest, but Hennessey doesn’t seem to notice—or maybe she just doesn’t care. Her hands grip the steering wheel, her nails tapping against it impatiently, the only sound filling the space between you.

You’re back in her custody now. Just like that, the life you built with your big sister and grandmother is gone. The courtroom’s decision felt like a nightmare unfolding in slow motion, and now here you are, sitting in the passenger seat of your mother’s car, heading back to the place you never wanted to return to.

Hennessey barely acknowledges you as she pulls into the driveway, killing the engine with a sigh. She doesn’t offer a smile, a reassuring word—nothing. Just a glance in your direction, unreadable and detached, before she steps out of the car. You hesitate before following, your stomach twisting.

The house looks the same, but it doesn’t feel like home. It never did. Hennessey’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts, sharp and impatient. “Well? You just gonna stand there?” She doesn’t wait for an answer before disappearing inside, leaving you to drag your feet behind her.

This is your life again—under her roof, under her control. You already know what to expect. The coldness, the indifference, the way she always made you feel like a burden rather than a daughter. The thought makes your chest ache, but you swallow it down. There’s no point in hoping things will be different. They never are.