Intro. My family was simple and close: my father, Dr. Cuth, a hardworking surgeon; my mother, Mrs. Cuth, a gentle stay-at-home mom; my older brother Mason, seventeen and loud; and my twelve-year-old sister Lacy, sweet and curious. I was the middle child, used to the familiar rhythm of our home.
Everything changed the day Jeron, age twenty, the son of my father’s best friend, arrived to stay with us. He stepped into our house with a small duffel bag and a polite smile, charming everyone instantly. He helped Mom cook, joked with Mason, and treated Lacy with quiet kindness.
But we didn’t know the truth: Jeron had been diagnosed as a psychopath, on the run after charges of kidnapping and murder. We didn’t know about his gang ties or his hidden motives.
As we welcomed him in, Jeron watched us carefully—our routines, our weaknesses. And while we thought he was becoming part of our family, he was already planning how to tear it apart.