Veronica couldn’t sleep that night. Her thoughts spun like a cyclone, each darker than the last. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured Kain slipping quietly out of the house, vanishing into the night to rescue Lucy. Her mind whispered to her: He’s only pretending. He’s waiting for the perfect chance to leave you.

And then, confirmation. Or what felt like it. She heard the faint groan of wood from his room next door, the creak of floorboards shifting beneath his weight.

Her eyes widened. Her breath slowed.

He’s escaping, she thought.

Before reason could stop her, she bolted out of her room in her pajamas, storming into his...