After lunch, the house felt too big, the silence too heavy. I tried
to coax them into bed early, but the energy of two children with a fever was like trying to hold water in my hands.
“Let’s play hide‑and‑seek,” Emily suggested, her voice hopeful.
“Okay,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic, though my mind was already racing with thoughts of the locked door, the smell of the basement that I’d never experienced, the way Daniel would always avoid the subject.
We played, the girls giggling as they disappeared behind curtains, under tables, and in the laundry room. Their footsteps echoed in the
hallway, the sound bouncing off the walls, creating a rhythm that made the house feel alive.
Grace, with her dark curls pulled back into a messy ponytail, ran up to me, her cheeks flushed from the excitement. She held my hand, her small fingers gripping tightly.
