The final straw came two weeks later.
Carol offered to watch the kids for the afternoon while I ran errands. Ryan was at work. Max was pacing when I left, but I assured him it’d be fine. “She’s their grandmother, Max,” I whispered, kissing his head. “You can relax.”
But I couldn’t. At the store, a tightness curled in my chest like a fist. Something was wrong. I cut my trip short and rushed home.
As I pulled into the driveway, I heard barking—frenzied, high-pitched, panicked. I threw open the door.
Max was scratching at the door to the basement. From inside, I heard Carol’s voice. “Shh, stop crying, your mom will never know—”
I flung the door open. Lily and Oliver were sitting on the floor, faces red from tears. Carol looked up, startled. “They just wanted to play hide-and-seek!” she said too quickly.
Max leapt past me and pressed himself against Lily, tail wagging protectively. The kids clung to his fur like lifelines.
Something shifted inside me.
