I always thought housework was easy—something women just liked to complain about. I never understood why Lucy was always tired, why she sighed so much, or why she asked me to help when, in my mind, she had everything under control. But then, one day, she left me alone to handle it all myself. And in less than twenty-four hours, I learned a truth that shook me to my core—I was the problem. I came home from work that evening, dropped my keys on the table, and collapsed onto the

Thirty-four weeks pregnant, I was deep in sleep when my husband’s frantic voice yanked me awake in the dead of night. The panic in his tone made my heart leap in terror. “Mary! Wake up! Fire! Fire! Get up!” Adrenaline surged through my veins. My hands instinctively wrapped around my belly, shielding my unborn baby. I bolted upright, my mind racing. Smoke? Flames? The nightmare I had feared my entire life was happening again. I stumbled out of bed, yanking the door open. My pulse pounded in my ears as