Jack arrived home close to 1:00 in the morning.
The last-minute flight he had booked was delayed, and the stopover in Denver only made him more drained. He hadn’t told anyone he would return on Friday, 2 days ahead of schedule. He wanted to surprise Clare. The seminar had wrapped up earlier than expected, and deep inside, he simply wanted to see her again. He felt a growing distance between them and hoped the gesture might fix it.
Despite the fatigue, he drove straight from the airport to their house, a faint smile forming as he imagined the look on her face when she opened the door.
But as he parked in front of the house, something felt off. Everything was dark. Completely silent.
