I woke to the faint sound of a baby crying. The soft, distant wailing pulled me gently from unconsciousness, and as my mind began to stir, I slowly opened my eyes. At first, my vision was a little blurry, but after a few seconds of adjusting to the light, I looked around and realized that I was in my bedroom. It was the same bedroom in the packhouse that I shared with Ethan, and everything looked just the way I remembered it—comforting and familiar.

I slowly sat up in bed, every ...