I was actually smiling when I walked toward the house.
I wanted to surprise Rose.
But only seconds after opening the door, I realized that the surprise was waiting for me.
The house was unusually quiet.
I called out:
“Rose?”
No answer.
Then I heard something coming from the kitchen.
I walked in and saw my daughter.
She looked at me as though I was the last person in the world she expected to see.
Her face immediately went pale.
She was holding two cups of coffee.
“Mom… why are you home so early?”
The moment she asked that question, something tightened inside me.
I still didn’t understand what was happening.
But I could feel that something was wrong.
Very wrong.
I was about to ask who the second cup of coffee was for.
But I never got the chance.
At that exact moment, a man’s voice came from deeper inside the house.