When Evan finally reached home that night, the silence greeted him before he even stepped fully inside.
The house felt… different.
Too quiet.
He closed the door slowly behind him, the faint click echoing through the empty living room. Normally around this hour, he would hear something — the clinking of plates in the kitchen, the sound of the television humming softly, or his mother calling out his name asking if he had eaten.
But tonight, there was nothing.
Just silence.
Evan stood there for a moment, staring into the dim hallway.
His chest tightened.
His eyes slowly moved toward the kitchen.
The lights were off, but he could almost picture it clearly — his mom standing by the stove, stirring something in a pot while humming quietly like she always did.
For a second, it felt so r
