The rain had been falling since late afternoon, steady and unrelenting, drumming softly against the kitchen windows like a lullaby. It wrapped the house in a cocoon of sound, making everything inside feel warmer, cozier, if not for the storm brewing in the middle of the kitchen.

You stood with your hands on your hips, hair a little mussed from pushing it back too many times in frustration. The overhead light glowed golden against the wood countertops, casting shadows that danced with each flicker of lightning.