A three AM phone call about a locked room changed everything

into the corner.

Chloe stopped hopping and reached for a cracker, her small fingers dusty with salt. “Does Daddy know?”

“He has his own copy,” I said.

Mia carried three library books toward the hallway. Her shoulders looked lighter than they had in months, no longer hunched as if waiting for a sudden change in plans.

“I like staying in continue reading …