I felt a wave of fatigue sweep over me as I lay down on the plush guest room bed. I knew I needed to take a nap to recover from the day's events, which had left me exhausted. I let myself fall into a quiet sleep as I closed my eyes and felt the soft touch of the afternoon sunlight coming through the window.

After a while, I heard the front door open, which startled me. With a start, I sat up and rubbed my eyes to clear the fog of sleep. I heard footsteps coming, and shortly after, Michael emerged from behind the door, looking exhausted.

"He said, "Hey,"...