They stepped back into the house together, the warmth of the lights making everything feel normal again. Almost too normal, as if the fear from moments ago had not nearly swallowed Betty whole.
The moment they entered the kitchen, Shawn's gaze drifted to the counter. Chopped vegetables. A pan resting on the stove. The faint scent of oil still hung in the air.
"You were making dinner," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I interrupted something important, didn't I?"
Betty exhaled and nodded, moving toward the counter. "I was. Or at least I was trying to before my house decided to turn against me."
She reached for her phone resting beside the cutting board and checked the screen. Missed calls. Messages she had not heard earlier. She let her head fall back slightly and closed her eyes, the aftershock of fear still rippling through her body.
"I really thought someone was here," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "For a moment, I could not even breathe."
