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I woke up the next morning feeling weak. My body ached, and the lingering effects of the nightmare made it hard to shake off the dread that clung to me. With effort, I dressed and got ready for work.

As I went downstairs, I noticed something strange—no one was at home. Not even Zara, which was weird because Zara never left the house before me. The absence of the usual morning bustles and yells made the house feel empty and eerie.

I weakly did everything I could to prepare for the day. I could only manage to make a sandwich for breakfast. My hands trembled, and I felt dizzy, but the fear of falling asleep and having another nightmare kept me from going back to bed. The entire house was empty, and the silence scared me a bit.

Catherine was a full-time housewife and never left the house, even when she was with Victor. She was always around, making her presence known in one way or another. Damon was an exception; he wasn’t always at home. The other women must have left with Catherine, but