The sight of Jack broke something open in Sasha, and all the fear of the night poured out at once. She wept, spoke too fast, and let her thoughts spill into dark places she had been trying to hold back.

Jack listened, but the effect on Nathan was immediate. Watching his mother unravel made the danger feel larger, not smaller.

Later, Sasha would realize that honesty was good, but emotional collapse in front of a frightened child was not the help the moment required.