"I'm here. Found Maya."
When that message came through, the knot in my chest finally loosened.
"Wait—here's a map I drew from memory. Stay put."
This time, I was going to find out exactly who wanted to hurt my daughter.
After I sent the map, the reply came. I shook the numbness from my legs and walked out.
"Sister-in-law, you took forever."
Daisy hooked her arm through mine and steered me back toward the house without stopping.
The moment I stepped through the door, Leah snatched my phone from my hand and pulled me toward the card table.
"Zoey, we'll teach you if you don't know how to play. It's New Year's—what's the point of staring at your phone all day?"
The automatic mahjong table kept spinning. Every few minutes, my eyes drifted to the wall clock.
"It's already eleven. Maya must be hungry. I'm going to go find her."
The second I stood up, my mother-in-law swept in from the kitchen with a plate of fruit and pressed me back onto the stool.
"Zoey, you take care of that child by yourself all year—you're exhausted. Today, just relax. Don't worry, Maya won't starve. There are snacks everywhere."