Stella's POV

The house was silent when I opened the door. An almost suspicious kind of silence, considering I had two high-energy boys running around most of the time. I closed the door quietly behind me, hung my bag on the hook by the entryway, and stood there for a few seconds, just listening.

Nothing.

No running footsteps. No toys scattered across the floor. No laughter echoing from another room.

I frowned, slipped off my shoes by the door, and started up the stairs, one step at a tim