PART 1: THE DISCOVERY UNDER THE MATTRESS
For months, I had respected my mother-in-law’s strict insistence on keeping the guest room entirely private. The morning after she moved out, I discovered she had been hiding something under that bed that was deeply unsettling.
The guest room finally smelled of fresh, empty air instead of Jacqueline’s lavender lotion or Theodore’s peppermint cologne. Only a faint, yeasty warmth lingered in the corner, a peculiar scent that I had never quite been able to place. I brushed the strange odor off because the cool autumn breeze was drifting through the window and bright sunshine hit the bare mattress.
I stood at the foot of the bed with my hands on my hips and smiled warmly at the open space. Six whole months had passed, and now this room was finally mine again.