CHAPTER 50

Lois winced, the words piercing through her already shattered heart. She felt the weight of guilt pressing down on her, the burden of responsibility she carried for both her daughter and her granddaughters. Tears welled up in her eyes, a mixture of sorrow and self-blame.

"How dare you say that to me?" Lois choked out, her voice trembling with emotion. "I love those girls as if they were my own. I would never intentionally put them in harm's way."

The air around them crackled with tension as emotions ran high. The rest of the group sensed the escalating conflict and rushed to defuse the situation before it spiraled out of control.

"Enough!" Detective Ryan interjected, his voice firm and commanding. "We're here to find the girls, not assign blame. Let's focus on the task at hand and work together."

His words resonated with the others, a reminder of their shared goal and the need to set aside personal grievances in the face of a crisis. Meg, who had been observing the tense excha