You hear him before you see him. A sound you’ve never heard come from your husband tears through the house—a raw, broken scream that makes your blood run cold. Your name, shouted over and over, jagged with desperation. You drop what’s in your hands and run.

When you reach Hazel’s room, the world tilts. Simon is on the floor, his arms wrapped around her small frame, rocking back and forth as if sheer movement could undo what’s happened. His mask of calm—the one he wears so easily in every crisis—is gone. His face is wet with tears, red, twisted in anguish.

“Baby, stay with Daddy, please,” he begs, his voice cracking so hard it almost breaks in two. “Don’t leave me, Hazel. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s got you.” His words tumble out in a frantic rush, his hands trembling as he presses them against her, trying to hold her to this world with sheer force of love.

Behind you, there’s a sharp gasp. You turn just enough to see Willa and Elsie in the doorway, barefoot and wide-eyed, drawn by the screaming. Willa’s hand is gripping her little sister’s so tightly her knuckles are white, both of them frozen in horror at the sight of Hazel on the floor.

“Go back—go to the living room!” you snap, sharper than you mean, but neither of them moves. Elsie starts to cry, soft, hiccuping sobs she tries to swallow down, and Willa looks at you like she’s begging you to tell her this isn’t real.

You drop to the floor beside Simon and Hazel, your hands moving instinctively, trying to help, trying to comfort, trying to hold on. Simon’s eyes dart to yours, wild with fear. “She tried—” His voice breaks, strangled. He shakes his head, clutching Hazel tighter. “She tried to leave us. She—oh God.”