“At 3 a.m., I jolted awake when I heard my daughter’s bedroom door click open. My husband slipped inside quietly, just like every night. My hands trembling, I opened the hidden camera app I had secretly placed inside her stuffed animal a few days earlier… ‘Daddy… please don’t…’

Julian opened his mouth and then shut it again, unable to speak. Fiona immediately scooped Serena into her arms. The girl pressed her face into Fiona’s shoulder, silent tears soaking her mother’s pajamas.

“You’re safe now, sweetheart,” Fiona whispered. “I’ve got you.”

Fiona turned her attention to Julian. “Step away from her.”

Finally, Julian stammered, attempting a weak explanation. “Fiona, you’re misunderstanding. She’s been having nightmares.”

“Nightmares?” Fiona spat. “Nightmares that happen only when you enter her room? Nightmares that never existed before? Nightmares that terrify her while you stand there?”

Julian froze, unable to respond. Fiona didn’t wait. She held Serena close and moved toward the front door. “We’re leaving. Grab nothing. Do not stop.”

Outside, the cold night air hit her face. She strapped Serena into her car seat with trembling hands and started the engine, the rumble grounding her. They drove in tense silence toward the nearest police station, Serena clutching her mother’s hand, breathing slowly evening out as she clung to Fiona’s arm.