The park was buzzing with laughter and chatter, children running across the grass, parents watching from benches. The warm sun cast golden light over everything, and for a moment, life felt simple. Peaceful. Then my son shattered it all. “Mom! Dad’s in a super fancy car!” Ethan’s excited voice rang through the air like a gunshot. I frowned, my heart skipping a beat. That couldn’t be right. Daniel? In a fancy car? We were broke. Barely scraping by. He had lost his job months ago and spent every day searching

Walter stepped into the house, greeted not by the usual warmth of home but by a piercing cry that sent shivers down his spine. Logan’s wails filled every corner, bouncing off the walls like a siren, a desperate call for help. Abby sat at the kitchen table, her shoulders slumped, her face pale with exhaustion. Her hands trembled as she ran them through her hair. The sight of her like this made Walter’s heart tighten. “Oh, honey,” he murmured, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. “How

I never thought I’d end up like this—burning with fever, too weak to stand, my body trembling as if it didn’t belong to me anymore. My limbs felt heavy, my head pounded, and even the smallest movement sent waves of nausea through me. On the floor beside my bed, my one-year-old daughter, Lily, sat playing with her stuffed rabbit, occasionally looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes. She giggled, babbling softly to herself, unaware that something was terribly wrong. I swallowed painfully and reached for my phone with trembling