“Do you want to meet my mom? Then we could invite her to play hide‑and‑seek with us too.”
I froze. My breath caught, a sudden coldness spreading through my chest.
“Sweetheart, what do you mean?” I asked, my voice trembling a little.
Grace looked
surprised, as if she hadn’t expected my reaction. “Well, Mom also loved playing hide‑and‑seek with us. Do you want me to show you where my mom lives? You can finally meet her.”
She tugged gently at my sleeve, her eyes shining with an earnestness that made my heart race. “Come on, I’ll take you.”
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt. The rain hammered against the windows, the house creaked, and the girls’ muffled giggles faded into the background. I felt a strange mix of curiosity, fear, and something
deeper, a knot in my stomach that I couldn’t untangle.
Grace led me down the hallway, her small hand never leaving mine. She stopped in front of the basement door, the brass lock catching the dim light.
