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

I didn’t check it twice.

That night, I removed the cracked case from my phone.

The old split along the corner had reminded me of the police station every time I touched it.

I placed it in the drawer with the records.

The phone felt unfamiliar without it.

Smooth.

Lighter.

I put it on the nightstand.