The silence that followed was deafening.
Since that night, the house has been tense. Anna barely speaks to me unless it’s necessary. Mia and Sophie slam doors and roll their eyes whenever Kate walks by.
Kate, for her part, has been… lighter. She locks her door when she leaves, and when she comes home, she knows her things are still where she left them. She even started humming again while sketching, a small sound I hadn’t realized I’d missed.
But I can’t shake the question gnawing at me: Did I overreact? Did I make things worse by putting a lock on her door? Should I have tried harder to mediate before taking action?
