As I received the frantic message from my daughter, panic immediately gripped my heart. Racing against time, I dashed out of the office, my mind swirling with terrifying possibilities. With trembling hands, I dialed Milly’s number, desperate for answers.

“Mom, Dad won’t let me come home and I can hear someone screaming,” her voice crackled through the phone, sending a chill down my spine.

Fear constricted my chest as I tried to make sense of her words. “Milly, darling, who is screaming? Is it Dad?” I asked, my voice trembling with worry.

“No, I can hear a woman’s voice,” Milly replied, her tone filled with fear and confusion.

Dread washed over me as I processed her words. Without hesitation, I assured her that I was on my way and instructed her to wait for me in the safety of the park nearby.

As I raced through the streets, my mind raced with terrifying thoughts. Was my husband in danger? Was Milly in danger? I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom that hung over me like a dark cloud.

But just as I was about to reach the park, my phone rang again, and I felt a surge of relief flood through me as I saw my husband’s name on the caller ID. Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding, a simple miscommunication that had spiraled out of control.

“Hi, I’m calling to tell you that…” his voice trailed off, and my heart sank as I heard the words that followed.

The ground seemed to fall out from beneath me as he delivered the news that shattered my world into a million pieces. Everything I thought I knew was suddenly called into question, and the terrifying truth began to dawn on me.

As the reality of the situation sank in, I was consumed by a mixture of shock, disbelief, and overwhelming grief. In that moment, I realized that the nightmare was far from over, and that the horrors lurking in the shadows were closer to home than I ever could have imagined.