My mind scrambled for a reasonable explanation.

Maybe the frame was damaged.

Maybe a spring had snapped.

Maybe the new mattress had been installed incorrectly.

But none of those ideas explained what happened next.

The blanket lifted slightly near Mia’s legs.

As if something beneath it had pushed upward.

“Mia,” I said out loud, already getting to my feet.

I grabbed my robe and hurried down the hallway toward her bedroom while still watching the camera feed on my phone.

The door was closed.

The movement inside stopped.

I opened the door slowly.

Mia was still asleep.

The mattress looked completely normal.

But something didn’t feel right.

I crouched beside the bed and lifted the blanket slightly to inspect the mattress surface. Nothing unusual. The fabric was smooth and flat.

Then I remembered the camera’s angle.

It wasn’t aimed directly at the top of the mattress.

It was pointed toward the side.

Slowly my eyes moved toward the lower edge of the bed frame.

That was when I saw it.

The mattress wasn’t sitting evenly anymore.

One corner had shifted upward.

As if something beneath it had become wedged between the mattress and the wooden slats.

“Mia,” I whispered.

She stirred slightly.

“What’s wrong, Mom?”

I tried to keep my voice steady.

“Sweetheart… did anyone come into your room tonight?”

“No.”

“Did you hear anything?”

She shook her head sleepily.

I slid my hand beneath the edge of the mattress.

continue to the next page.”