The moment the door to our bedroom clicked shut behind us, it felt as though every ounce of strength I had been desperately holding on to throughout the entire day finally gave out all at once.

I stopped in front of the door and leaned my back against it, closing my eyes for a moment as I struggled to regulate my breathing. My chest still felt painfully heavy, and no matter how many times I reminded myself that we were already home—inside a place that was supposed to be safe—I couldn’t ...