After rushing back downstairs to look for Scott, and didn’t find him. I went back upstairs, but I found Scott by sound before I could even see him.

His voice drifted faintly down the hall toward the master's bedroom, and it was filled with the frustration he used only when he was trying hard not to shout. At first, I thought he was on a call. He often was, even during the afternoon. But as I moved closer, another voice came through the crack beneath the door.

Mary.

I froze. My hand was ...