Chapter 4: Leaving the Shadows
Returning to the house to pack was suffocating. The blue bedroom, once a sanctuary of bedtime stories and morning cuddles, now felt like a trap. Sarah moved quickly, throwing clothes and essential toys into cardboard boxes. Lily stood by the doorway, her small hands gripping the frame, refusing to cross the threshold. "We're not staying, sweetie," Sarah said gently, taping up a box of Leo's clothes. "We're finding a new place. A place where the sun shines in every room." Lily didn't smile, but her shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch. As they drove away from the suburban house for the last time, Sarah looked in the rearview mirror. The house stood silent, holding the ghosts of their terror. She turned her eyes back to the road ahead. They were leaving the shadows behind.
