Everything made sense now!

A few minutes after Arya and Amaris's interaction, Laura returned home. 

As soon as she entered the living room, she dropped her bag as her eyes darted around the room, scanning for any signs of danger or intrusion.

Spotting Arya's school bag, she called out, "Arya?" 

Her voice was laced with uncertainty as fear marred her beautiful aging face.

Walking slowly towards the living room, she caught a whiff of something tantalizing and quickly walked into the kitchen only to see a table set with delicious-looking meals but no soul.

"Arya?" she called out again, this time with more tremor in her voice as Greg's words flowed through the little gate that fear had opened in her subconscious mind, making her think of the worst.