Not just locked—secured with a thick steel padlock from the outside.

Her stomach dropped.

Every window had metal bars. Something she had once thought of as protection.

Now they felt like prison bars.

“No… no, no…” she whispered, already shaking.

She grabbed her phone and called Daniel.

Straight to voicemail.

She tried texting him.

Blocked.

Her breath caught painfully in her throat. She checked the Wi-Fi.

Nothing.

The modem was dead.

When she looked behind the TV, she understood why.

The power cable was gone.

He had planned everything.

Every single detail.

Holding Noah tightly against her chest, she walked into the kitchen, forcing herself to speak out loud, trying to stay calm.

“It’s okay… we have food… we’ll wait… someone will come…”

But the moment she opened the refrigerator, reality hit her like a physical blow.

Two small bottles of water.

A little milk.

Nothing else.

The pantry—empty.

No bread. No canned food. No rice. Nothing.

He hadn’t forgotten groceries.

He had cleared the house.

Emily felt something inside her collapse.

She found a crushed pack of cookies and a bruised banana. She gave Noah a piece, watching him smile up at her, unaware, trusting.

That was when the tears finally came.