Chapter 74

Henry's anxious expression softened with relief. "Thank you," he said, gratitude evident in his eyes.

Julia followed Henry to his car where he briefly explained Tiffany's condition and the therapy she'd undergone over the years. Hearing about the little girl's struggles made Julia's heart ache. Henry's urgency in finding her meant Tiffany's current episode must be severe.

Regret washed over her for her behavior that morning. Why had she directed her resentment toward an innocent child?

Just as they were about to leave, Joseph and Stephen broke free from Caroline's grasp and ran toward the car.

"Why aren't you with Caroline?" Julia asked as she opened the door.

"We want to see Tiffany too, Mommy!" they insisted firmly.

Julia glanced at Henry, deferring to his judgment.

Knowing how attached Tiffany was to the boys, Henry opened the door for them. They deliberately sat far from him, making their disdain obvious.

Throughout the drive, Joseph and Stephen remained unusually quiet. Henry's gaze occasionally drifted toward Julia, impressed by how well she had raised her sons on her own.

When they arrived, Henry led them directly to the second floor where Gregory stood vigilantly at an open doorway, monitoring Tiffany closely to prevent her from harming herself during her episode.

"Ms. Kennedy, you've arrived," Gregory said, visibly relieved.

Julia nodded briefly, too concerned about Tiffany for small talk. "Where is she?"

Gregory pointed grimly toward the room.

Julia peered inside to find Tiffany huddled in a corner, her eyes vacant like a soulless doll. The contrast between this broken child and the smiling girl who had reached for her embrace that morning was heartbreaking.

Moving quietly into the room, Julia knelt before Tiffany and tried to gather her into her arms. "Tiffany, I'm here," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Tiffany showed no reaction.

"Tiffany..." Julia tried again, but the girl remained completely unresponsive, staring blankly in one direction.

Gregory spoke softly from behind. "Ms. Kennedy, Tiffany has completely withdrawn into herself. You'll need to keep talking to her to draw her out. Please be patient."

Julia acknowledged his advice with a silent nod and continued speaking to Tiffany. "Look, Joseph and Stephen came too. Open up, sweetie, and they'll stay and play with you. Would you like that?"

The boys approached cautiously. Stephen, unable to contain his emotions, began crying at the sight of Tiffany's condition.

"Snap out of it, Tiffany," he pleaded. "I promise I won't make scary faces at you anymore."

Joseph tried a different approach. "If you keep spacing out, we'll have to leave soon."

Normally, such a threat would have sent Tiffany scrambling to hold onto them, but now she remained motionless, her expression unchanged.

Joseph's face fell with worry. "Tiffany, please talk to us. Are you upset because we're not at school? We'll go back soon, and we'll take you everywhere with us from now on. We'll play whatever you want, okay?"

Fighting tears, Stephen attempted a gentle ultimatum. "If you don't respond, we really won't talk to you anymore... Tiffany, please look at us."

Despite their best efforts, Tiffany remained unreachable. The boys continued talking, telling her about their day at the preschool and their adventures at the theme park. They promised to take her along next time if she would just snap out of it now.

But even after their throats grew dry from talking, Tiffany hadn't moved an inch or blinked an eye.

Defeated, Joseph and Stephen turned to Julia, tugging at her clothes. "Mommy, she's really not responding to us. What should we do?" Their eyes were rimmed with red.

Seeing her sons so distraught, Julia fought back her own tears. "She'll get better," she assured them, stroking their heads. "We must believe in Tiffany."

"Yes, we believe in Tiffany," they echoed.

Julia asked the boys to step outside while she stayed with Tiffany. Once they left, she carefully gathered the little girl into her arms. Whether Tiffany could hear her or not, Julia spoke gently, using the soothing tone mothers instinctively adopt with their children.

Henry witnessed the entire scene, growing increasingly certain that Julia had no idea Tiffany was her biological daughter. Otherwise, how could she have abandoned her child, yet now show such natural tenderness? The details of her interactions with Tiffany suggested that Julia might not even know she had a daughter. But if that were true, what had happened?

Julia stayed with Tiffany all day, barely eating, simply holding the child. As darkness fell, she reluctantly acknowledged she needed to leave—not for herself, but for Joseph and Stephen. She would get them settled and then return to Tiffany.

With obvious reluctance, she embraced Tiffany one last time. Joseph and Stephen took turns giving her hugs as well.

Joseph whispered to Tiffany, "Tiffany, it's getting dark. We need to go now."

Stephen echoed, "We'll come back tomorrow. But if you still ignore us then, we'll really be upset."

As they turned to leave, Julia felt a small hand clutch the hem of her dress.