MELISSA’S POV

The flight was long, but not unbearable. I tucked myself into the window seat, pulling a blanket around me, earbuds in, and let the soft hum of the plane lull me into a deep nap. By the time the captain’s voice echoed overhead, announcing our descent into Ohio, I felt groggy, like I’d been asleep for hours and still hadn’t rested enough.

The city outside the small oval window stretched out in gray lines, dotted with headlights glinting through the late afternoon ...