We didn’t even wait to get inside the house.
Caden paced the gravel driveway as I leaned against the car, the door still open, both of us staring blankly at the dark horizon like it might give us answers. My phone was already ringing, and my thumb trembled slightly as I held it to my ear.
Mum answered on the second ring.
“Baylee?” Her voice was warm, steady. Calming. “Everything okay?”
The second I heard her, the breath caught in my throat.
“No,” I said, my voice cracking. “Not really.”
I told her everything—about the bedroom, the mould, the shattered window, the kids’ clothes, the way Megan had clung to me like I was the first safe thing she’d ever touched. I tried to keep it even, but it spilled out in a wave of disbelief and quiet heartbreak. Caden leaned against the roof of the c
