Surprise Visit

"I understand that children tend to grow up unpredictably—but even then, there has to be a limit, right?"

The words escaped Krista Hell's lips with a sigh, tinged in quiet disbelief.

She walked slowly, almost absently, down the narrow marble hallway of their small castle-like home.

Her steps echoed softly against the finely polished floor, but her mind was far louder—buzzing with confusion, concern, and a growing pressure behind her temple that refused to subside.

An unrelenting headache pulsed behind her eyes.

It wasn't the kind born from fatigue or stress.

No—this one was a mother's headache.

The kind that came from watching your child walk paths that made no sense no matter how much you thought you understood them.