At 3 A.M., My Brother Dragged Me Out of My Bedroom While Dad Laughed—He Had No Idea What the Smoke Detector Had Recorded

For a moment, I stood with the key in my hand.

I thought about opening it again.

Checking the dates.

Making sure nothing was missing.

Then I put the key in my pocket.

Nothing needed checking.

That evening, Aaron left a box of my remaining books through the agreed process.

The cardboard was bent at one corner.