My heart soared with relief, but I kept my breathing steady. Caleb was awake—he had heard everything, just like I had. And now, we needed to pretend a little longer if we were going to survive this nightmare.

Time dragged by, each second feeling like an hour. I strained to hear any sign of Ethan returning, but the house was silent except for the faint ticking of the wall clock.

Finally, I felt it was safe enough to risk a whisper. “Caleb, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, Mom,” he breathed, his voice small and scared. “What do we do?”

I didn’t have a plan. My mind raced, trying to piece together a strategy when all I wanted to do was scream. But panic wouldn’t help us now. We needed to be smart and fast.

“Okay, when I say ‘go,’ we’re going to get up and leave the house,” I whispered. “We need to find help. But we have to be quiet. Understand?”

Caleb squeezed my fingers. “I understand.”

With a deep breath, I counted down silently in my head. Three… two… one… “Go.”

We moved like ghosts through the house, careful not to disturb anything that might alert Ethan if he happened to come back. I grabbed my phone from the counter, praying it still had some charge left.

Out the front door, the night was crisp and biting, but it felt like freedom. We hurried down the street, sticking to the shadows, my mind relentlessly going over Ethan’s words.

Poison. Accidental poisoning. A woman.

Who was she? And how long had this been going on? Questions churned in my mind, each more painful than the last. But those were mysteries for another time. Right now, we needed help.

We reached the neighbor’s house—an elderly couple, the Johnsons, who’d always been kind to Caleb. I rang the doorbell, hoping they were home and awake.

Mr. Johnson answered, his eyes widening at the sight of us. “Oh my goodness, what happened?”

“Please,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “We need to call the police. It’s an emergency.”

He nodded, ushering us inside quickly. Mrs. Johnson appeared, her face creased with worry as she brought us blankets. “Sit, sit. You’re both freezing.”

While they called the police, I checked my phone. A few precious percentage points of battery remained. I quickly texted my sister, telling her to call me immediately. I needed family to know what was happening.

The police arrived swiftly, their presence both reassuring and terrifying, reminding me that this nightmare was real. I recounted everything, my voice trembling as I described Ethan’s betrayal.

“Don’t worry,” one officer said kindly as he took notes. “We’ll find him.”

But the truth was, I didn’t know if I wanted them to find Ethan or if I was more afraid of what would happen when they did.

Caleb leaned against me, exhausted but safe. And as the night wore on, the thought that haunted me most wasn’t the betrayal, or the fear—but the fact that I hadn’t seen it coming. Ethan had been so careful, wearing his mask well.

The only thing I knew for certain was that we were going to be okay. We had to be. For Caleb’s sake, for my own.

As dawn broke, painting the sky with a defiant promise of a new day, I whispered to my son, “We’re going to be okay, Caleb. We’re going to be okay.”