The sound of my phone buzzing at 2 a.m. jolted me out of a deep sleep. Groggy and confused, I answered without checking the caller ID. On the other end, a woman’s sharp voice cut through the silence: “Stay away from Max and his family, or I’ll tell your husband everything.” My pulse raced. I sat up straight, wide awake, my mind spinning. Who was Max? I didn’t even know anyone by that name. Before I could speak, the woman hung up — leaving only the pounding of my heart echoing in the dark. I turned to my husband, who was half-asleep beside me, and whispered, “It’s for you.”

He rubbed his eyes and took the phone. I expected confusion, maybe irritation — but instead, I heard him say quietly, “Yeah.” That one word made my stomach drop. I lay frozen, pretending not to listen, but every nerve in my body was alert. His tone was calm, too calm. My thoughts raced — who was Max, and why did my husband sound like he knew exactly what was going on? A moment later, he said evenly, “You called the wrong number,” and ended the call. When he looked over at me, I could tell he knew I wasn’t asleep. “Just a mix-up,” he said softly. “Max is a coworker. Maybe his wife dialed the wrong number.”....