“Good morning, ma’am. I’m here for the scheduled maintenance work your husband requested earlier this morning.”

Every instinct in my body screamed a warning.

“I didn’t request any maintenance work, and you need to leave my property right now or I’m calling the police.”

A brief silence followed. Then came the scraping of metal tools against the lock mechanism, vibrating through the door—an intent no polite explanation could disguise.

“He’s forcing the lock,” I whispered into the phone, my breath hitching as the wood splintered slightly.

Sirens approached in the distance, growing louder by the second.

Voices thundered downstairs as the front door was breached by the responding units.