Downstairs, the refrigerator hummed steadily, making the night feel unreal while my entire world shifted beneath my feet.

I looked down at the crumpled paper once more to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.

The handwriting was unmistakable.

Brandon’s letters had always leaned slightly to the right, as if they were rushing to keep up with his busy mind, and he always pressed hard enough that his pen left deep grooves in the paper.

The note was short, only a few carefully written lines.

“Hannah, if you are reading this, then something terrible happened before I could make it back home to you.