Twenty years ago, I never imagined that an ordinary night could leave such a lasting mark. I was young, living alone, and focused on nothing more ambitious than finishing a long day with a quiet cup of tea. Outside, rain hammered the windows, turning streetlights into blurred streaks of gold, while thunder rolled low and heavy in the distance. When I heard the knock, faint and uncertain, my first instinct was hesitation. Caution had been drilled into me by years of warnings and whispered fears. Still, something about the sound lingered, too fragile to ignore. When I opened the door...
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