Mom sat on the living room sofa, her phone pressed tightly to her ear. Her voice was low. I had only come downstairs for a glass of water, but I froze on the bottom step, completely hidden in the shadows of the stairwell.

“…I don’t know, Linda. I swear I keep hearing strange noises at night. Thuds against the wall, muffled sounds, heavy breathing… I keep thinking maybe someone has broken in. But every single time I wake up in a panic, Paul is already out of bed. He checks the whole house, consoles me, and swears everything is perfectly fine. I feel stupid even saying it out loud, but...