I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. Atlas also woke up and looked at me, but I gestured to him, saying, “Go back to sleep.”

I wondered who could be at the door and why they pressed the doorbell so frantically early in the morning. It made me uneasy, and I hoped nothing bad had happened. Unexpectedly, I saw Grace through the peephole and quickly understood what was happening.

After some thought, I opened the door. Grace hurried in and angrily pushed me aside when she saw me. I could do