My Husband Cooked Dinner, and Minutes After My Son and I Ate, We Both Collapsed. I Played Dead on the Floor and Heard Him on the Phone: “Soon They’ll Both Be Gone”

“I’m going to deal with the leftovers now.” I heard him gathering dishes.

I heard him take something from the table.

And then, at last, I heard him walk toward the side door, and I heard the door to the attached garage shut behind him with a heavy, final click.

Chapter 4 — Don’t Move Yet

I opened my eyes.

Across the tile, Lucas opened his at the exact same instant, and we looked at one another in the dim kitchen light, and I have never in my life seen my child look the way he looked then.

“Is he gone, Mom?” he whispered, his voice cracking as he pulled in a breath.