The house was eerily quiet. Sophie had gone to bed early, the excitement of a new week wearing her out quicker than usual.
Lauren, on the other hand, was up late, her mind racing with everything from her writing to the lingering tension between her and Larry.
She was in the living room, scrolling absently through her phone when she heard it—a loud, choking sound coming from the kitchen.
Her heart jumped in her chest, and she dropped her phone, rushing to the source of the noise. As she rounded the corner, she froze. Larry was hunched over the sink, his hand gripping the edge of it like he was trying to hold himself up. His face was pale, a sickly sheen of sweat on his forehead, and he was coughing violently.
“Larry?” Lauren’s voice came out more like a whisper than a shout, but it was
