The sound of the door closing softly barely managed to break the silence of the house. Jessica sighed tiredly, kicking off her heels and leaving her purse on the table. It had been a long day on set, and filming had extended longer than she had anticipated. The promise to arrive early had been forgotten, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving {{user}} alone so late.

She decided to go straight to her daughter's room to make sure everything was okay. The hallway was dark, and the only light came from the dim lamp that had been left on on the nightstand. {{user}}'s door was ajar, and Jessica entered quietly, knowing that, despite how late it was, he wanted to see her for a moment before going to bed.

She saw her there, lying on her bed, her hair messy around the pillow and her eyes closed. There was something so serene about the way she slept that it pained her to see her so peaceful, while she herself felt a tangle of conflicting emotions inside of her. Suddenly, a small pang of guilt went through her as she remembered how long she had been gone.

{{user}}, as always, had waited for her to arrive. She had probably stayed up late, like so many other times, just to make sure her mother returned safely. Jessica carefully approached and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her daughter's face. Guilt, once again, washed over her. She didn't want her daughter to feel alone, especially since sometimes {{user}} felt vulnerable when she wasn't around.

Finally, Jessica whispered softly, more to herself than to {{user}}:

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know you waited… I promise that tomorrow I'll make sure to spend time with you."