The late afternoon sun sat lazily over the Graham household, painting the small suburban home in warm shades of gold. Stella was on her knees in the living room, a basket of laundry beside her and a determined expression on her face as she folded freshly washed clothes into neat piles. She had spent the day balancing her study schedule with household chores, a routine she had mastered long ago.
Her arms ached faintly, but she ignored it. As she hummed softly to herself, stacking her father’s shirts with precision, the faint sound of footsteps echoed outside the front porch. She froze, pausing mid-fold, when a sharp knock rattled the door.
It wasn’t unusual for neighbors to stop by, but something about the knock made Stella’s heart beat faster. She wiped her hands quickly on a cloth, brus
