They were wrong.
Around nine o’clock, Emily’s mother returned home earlier than expected.
She had forgotten her phone charger at the house.
Without thinking much about it, she unlocked the front door and walked inside.
A few moments later, she discovered that Emily was not alone.
The entire situation lasted less than a minute.
But for Emily, it felt like an hour.
She froze.
Her mother froze.
Daniel looked as though he wanted the floor to open beneath him.
Nobody knew what to say.
Finally, Emily’s mother quietly closed the door and walked downstairs.
There was no shouting.
There was no dramatic confrontation.
There was simply silence.
And somehow, the silence made everything more uncomfortable.
The Morning After
Emily barely slept that night.
She replayed the moment again and again.
What had her mother seen?
What was she thinking?
Would she tell Emily’s father?
Would Daniel’s family somehow hear about it?
