n the quiet suburb of Maplewood, nestled among rows of cherry blossoms and manicured lawns, lived the Thompson family. Julia, a high school art teacher, her husband, Mark, a software engineer, and their two daughters, Lily and Rose, were the embodiment of a happy, picture-perfect family. Or so it seemed.

Julia’s world began to unravel one spring evening when she decided to surprise Mark at his office with a homemade dinner. The girls, excited at the prospect of seeing where their father worked, chattered incessantly as they helped Julia pack the food. However, upon reaching the sleek glass building, the receptionist’s puzzled look was the first crack in the facade of Julia’s seemingly perfect life. Mark hadn’t worked late on Fridays for months, the receptionist informed her.