Chapter 1: The Man with the Silver Hair
The late afternoon sun stretched across the living room floor, painting everything in a golden hue. I sat on the edge of the couch, absentmindedly flipping through the mail — utility bills, pizza coupons, and a postcard from a car dealership offering a free oil change. Nothing that demanded urgency.

Then the doorbell rang.

I checked the clock. Serena always came around this time on Saturdays, part of our father-daughter ritual ever since she moved out after turning eighteen. I knew her knock, her bubbly voice echoing down the hallway, the way she kicked off her shoes and talked a mile a minute about her week.

But today, her voice sounded different.

“Hey, Dad!” she said brightly as I opened the door. She swept in wearing a turquoise sundress that shimmered like summer water. She hugged me quickly, then pulled back with sparkling eyes. “You won’t believe what just happened!”

I smiled, but something in her tone made me pause.

“What is it?” I asked. “Did you finally tell your roommate about your horror-movie-level fear of spiders?”