Soon after he left, Bianca came out of her room, following her usual routine of leaving and returning on time. Stacey assumed Bianca worked at her agency every day.

As Bianca was leaving, she told Stacey, “I’ll be working with the group tonight and won’t be back. It’ll just be you and my dad for dinner. Don’t worry about making anything for me.”

Stacey nodded and said, “Got it.”

Before leaving, Bianca looked back at Stacey with concern. “You’ve been having trouble sleeping. Make sure to get some rest tonight.”

Stacey forced a smile, feeling a bit relieved at the thought of having a quieter night with Bianca gone.

Instead...