and tried to steady my breathing.
After everything I had survived, Emily and I were about to lose our home.
Then a floorboard creaked behind me.
I turned.
No one was there.
I assumed I had imagined it and went back to work.
A few weeks later, I arrived at Richard’s estate and stopped in the entrance hall.
Fresh flowers filled tall vases. Candles flickered across the room, and soft music drifted through the house.
Richard normally warned me before inviting guests because those days required more preparation.
This time,
