It was the closest she’d ever come to praying. Even in her darkest moments, she had never turned to God. That was her mom’s deal, not hers.

Have you ever loved someone so much, you felt like your heart was going to just beat right out of your chest?

Maddie breathed in deep, inhaling the scent of breakfast and dish soap, clean laundry and wood floors, sunshine and a room filled with love. It smelled like home.

Even when the sun was shining she couldn’t see it. The whole house was closing in on her and she was suffocating.

Shhh…” he repeated. He kissed the top of her head and then stood. With surprising strength, the elderly man lifted her as if she weighed nothing, bringing her to the car. He opened the car...

She drifted down into the water, letting it engulf her body until even her face was underwater. The silence was delicious, just the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.