“We Need Your Apartment For The Weekend,” She Texted—Without Asking

Deleted old codes. Created one new code only I knew. Then I opened the family group chat and quietly left. No dramatic farewell. Just exit.

The first weekend after, Liam came over with his backpack and his stuffed fox. He walked into my apartment, stopped, and looked around like he was checking for invisible people.

“No one’s here,” I said gently. “Just continue reading …