With barely any sleep and a long day in the office where my mind wandered too much and focus was hard to come by, I come through my front door with my head fuzzy and my body exhausted. I didn’t sleep well last night after the call from my mom. I swear the stairs creaked and floors groaned all night, like the threat of someone sneaking around.

I had to remind myself, they’re just the sounds my house always makes. Sometimes the floor creaks and the wind blows on the roof. There was nobody there.

Even if something inside of me refused to believe that. Even if my pulse was panicked and sleep brought me terrors. When morning came, I was just fine and there was no one else there waiting in a dark corner.

Just me.

Focusing on my patients was tough today and took a ton of my mental energy.

I drop my keys on the table in the entryway, and⁠—

A sound. From the kitchen.

I freeze in place, my blood icy with fear. I try to breathe past it, but my heartbeat is all off. How fast can I get out? If I move backward toward the door, I could try, but I’d have to unlock it, and that would make a sound, and⁠—

Aden comes out into the hallway, his hands up.

Fucking hell. My tense body relaxes and all the air rushes out of me. “Aden. God. I—I just thought⁠—”

I rub my tired eyes rather than finish the sentences.

He comes toward me slowly, like he doesn’t want to scare me any more, and wraps me up in his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” There’s a smirk on his lips like this is funny. But he doesn’t know…

“I thought you were my mom,” I breathe the excuse against his chest.

“Shh.” He strokes my hair and holds me closer. “You know she can’t hurt you anymore.”

I do. I know that. I know I can choose how to respond to this situation. I burrow into Aden’s chest and breathe. He smells warm and clean, and I need every bit of comfort he can offer. I cling to him and I love how he holds me back. I needed this.

As he rubs soothing circles on my back he seems to realize how shaken I really am. “She can’t do anything to you anymore,” he reassures me.

“I know,” I finally manage to say. “I know she can’t.” Repeating the words out loud always helps. “But she called.”

Aden’s hand stops on the back of my head, his fingers in my hair. “What? What did she say?”