Five women stared at me, waiting.
I grabbed my clutch. “Fine. I’ll go check.”
“We’ll go check,” Brooke said. “We’re coming with you.”
Two minutes later, we were squeezed into a taxi, knees bumping, the driver eyeing us in the mirror like he wasn’t sure what chaos he’d signed up for.
Honestly, fair enough.
“We’re probably overreacting,” I muttered. “I’m just going to text Jack and ask—”
“Just ask if everything’s okay,” Jenna cut in.
I leaned forward slightly. “Just that? Why?”
“To see what he says… if you’re too specific—”
“That’s when they start lying,” Marissa finished.
“Okay, fine.” I texted Jack as the city blurred past outside.
Everything okay?
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Yep. Kids are asleep. You have fun 
I stared at the winking emoji for a long moment.
“Did he answer?” Lila asked.
“He says everything’s fine.”
Brooke leaned closer. “Ask him what he’s doing.”
What are you up to?
This time, there was a pause. Longer than before.
Just watching TV. Why?
“He says he’s watching TV. Wants to know why I’m asking.”
The taxi stopped at a red light, and silence settled in. We exchanged looks. It felt like we were all thinking the same thing, but no one wanted to say it out loud.
Marissa rubbed her forehead. “Michelle, we’re almost there. It’s better to check. If it’s nothing, we’ll laugh about it tomorrow.”
“And if it’s not?” Hannah asked quietly.
No one answered.
Soon, the taxi pulled up outside my house. The porch light was off.
“That’s strange. We always leave it on.”
“You want me to wait?” the driver asked.
“Yes,” Hannah said before I could respond. “Keep the engine running.”
I stepped onto the curb and studied the house as I approached. Aside from the porch light, everything looked normal.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
It smelled like my vanilla candle.
There was no sound of a TV. Nothing at all.
I stood in the entryway, letting the silence settle. Something felt… off.
Then I looked at the hallway rack.
The kids’ jackets were gone. Liam’s red hoodie and Ava’s sparkly pink coat were missing from their hooks.
He told me they were asleep and that he was watching TV. Both lies.
Where was my husband—and more importantly, where were my children?
I was reaching for my phone to call 911 when I heard voices.
Jack was speaking softly, almost pleading. “Not yet. Just a little longer, please?”
Then a woman laughed. “Begging won’t change my mind.”
I hurried upstairs. Halfway up, the voices became clearer, and by the time I reached the top, I knew exactly which room they were coming from.
I pushed open the bedroom door.
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