CHAPTER 2
The Secret Hidden Inside the Bedroom
Most people believe animals only react to what they can see.
They're wrong.
Animals detect things we cannot.
Changes in scent.
Hormones.
Blood chemistry.
Even tiny shifts inside the human body.
I asked Anna a question that surprised her.
"When Luna forces you out of the bedroom..."
"...does she stay inside?"
Anna nodded.
"Always."
"She never follows me."
"She sleeps on my pillow."
I frowned.
"And when you sleep on the couch?"
"I wake up feeling much better."
That answer made my stomach tighten.
I immediately called her physician.
Fortunately, he agreed to run additional medical tests.
Anna laughed nervously.
"You think my cat diagnosed me?"
"I think your cat noticed something."
The results came two days later.
The doctor called me personally.
His voice sounded unusually serious.
"You were right."
Anna had severe nighttime oxygen deprivation.
Whenever she slept flat on her back...
her oxygen level dropped dramatically.
She also had an undiagnosed heart rhythm disorder.
If left untreated...
she could have died in her sleep.
But something still bothered me.
Why did Luna insist on staying inside the bedroom?
Why guard the room?
The answer arrived unexpectedly.
One rainy evening, Anna called me again.
Her voice shook.
"You need to come."
"Please."
"I found something."
When I entered her house...
the bedroom smelled strange.
Not strong.
But metallic.
The local fire department inspected the room.
Their detector began screaming.
Carbon monoxide.
Tiny amounts.
Not enough to affect visitors.
But enough to poison someone sleeping there every night.
A cracked ventilation pipe connected to an old furnace hidden inside the wall had been leaking invisible gas for months.
The bedroom had become a silent death trap.
The couch downstairs...
was perfectly safe.
Anna stared at the firefighters in complete shock.
"If Luna hadn't forced me downstairs..."
"I would've stayed here..."
"...every single night."
One firefighter quietly removed his helmet.
"You probably wouldn't be standing here today."
Anna collapsed into tears.
She hugged Luna tighter than ever before.
But the biggest surprise...
hadn't even happened yet.
While repairing the bedroom wall...
workers discovered something hidden behind the old vent.
A small wooden box.
Covered in dust.
Inside...
were dozens of handwritten letters.
All addressed...
to Anna.
May you like
From her late husband.
END OF CHAPTER 2
