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But the weight in my chest felt crushing.
When the door closed behind him and his footsteps faded away, the house fell into a silence that felt unnatural.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the door.
Then slowly, I turned toward the hallway.
Toward the bedroom.
Toward the bed.
My heart started pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Something is wrong.
And this time… I’m going to find out what.
I dragged the mattress into the middle of the room by myself. My hands were already shaking when I went to the kitchen and grabbed a box cutter. The house felt too quiet, like it was waiting.
I knelt beside the mattress and pressed the blade into the fabric.
Then I made the first cut.
The second the material split, the smell exploded out.
I gagged instantly.
Stumbling back, I covered my nose, coughing so hard my eyes filled with tears.
It was worse than anything I had imagined.
Not just bad.