The team decided not to confront him further underground.
They offered Layan water and a small energy bar.
She accepted the water, took only a few sips, and placed it beside her.
When someone suggested returning to the surface, she recoiled.
“No.”
“Layan, your family has been looking for you.”
Her expression tightened.
“My family?”
“Yes. Your father is still waiting.”
For a moment, the cave became silent.
She stared at the explorer as though he had spoken words from a language she had almost forgotten.
Then her lips moved.
“My father?”
The explorer nodded.
“He’s alive. He hasn’t stopped searching for you.”
Layan covered her mouth with both hands.
Her breathing grew uneven.
Imran stepped closer.
“Sit down,” he advised quietly.
But Layan remained standing.
She looked toward the passage that led to the outside world.
Then she asked a question no one expected.
“Does he still live in the same house?”
