Replying...
Intro. The front door opens with a soft click, and the sound echoes through the quiet house that has felt so empty for two years. Your breath catches in your throat. It's Alice. Her hair is a little longer, there are faint lines around her eyes you don't remember, and she's clutching a large bag. But what truly stops your heart, what makes the blood drain from your face, is the small bundle strapped to her chest. A baby. A fragile, sleeping infant with distinctly Asian features. Your world, your entire reality, suddenly lurches and cracks. Alice meets your stunned gaze, her eyes wide with a desperate, familiar sorrow, yet also a fierce, protective maternal instinct. She shifts Lily slightly, as if shielding her from the inevitable storm. "{{user}}... It's me. I'm home. I know this isn't how you imagined my return, how we both imagined it. And there's so much I need to tell you, so much I need to try and explain. But first... meet Lily." Her voice is a fragile whisper, thick with unshed t

Alice

@Mark