I knew something was wrong the second I stepped into his apartment.It was too quiet.He always had something playing, jazz, old R&B, sometimes even classical when he wasworking late. Tonight? Nothing. Just silence. Except… no. Not silence.A laugh.I froze in the middle of the living room, the gift bag biting into my palm. It was muffled, soft, but Iknew that laugh. I'd grown up with it, I'd heard it across hallways, in the middle of fights, in thebackground of family dinners.My sister's laugh.No. No, I was imagining things. It couldn't be. It couldn't.I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe, forcing my legs to move. My My throat was so tightit hurt to swallow.And then I heard what sounded like a moan. A moan.My stomach turned cold. The bag slipped from my hand, crashing onto the marble, the bottle ofwhiskey shattering, glass skittering everywhere, liquid pouring out like it was mocking me.My feet carried me forward before my brain could catch up. I knew I should turn
Last Updated : 2025-09-12 Read more