The moment I stepped through the front door, I knew something was terribly wrong because homes with newborn babies usually contain constant sounds and movement.
There should have been quiet crying, footsteps, running water, or microwave noises from exhausted parents awake during unusual hours.
Instead, the house felt cold and completely silent.
The living room smelled of old pizza and stale air-conditioning while my mother and Ashley slept comfortably beneath blankets on the couch.
Empty soda bottles, chip bags, and pizza boxes covered the coffee table as though they had spent the entire night relaxing instead of helping a recovering mother and newborn child.
My mother woke up with a start when she noticed me standing there unexpectedly.
She immediately demanded to know why I hadnât warned them that I was returning early.