After nine months abroad, I finally came home to my wife and newborn daughter—our world felt complete. But our German Shepherd, usually calm and protective, began barking frantically at the baby’s crib. At first I shrugged it off as jealousy or adjustment, but the barking grew more desperate each night.
One evening, I couldn’t shake the tension any longer. Crouching by the crib, I lifted the mattress, expecting a stray toy or odd smell. Instead, I found something that made my blood run cold—something buried beneath the surface that shattered the cozy, safe world I thought I had returned to.
The nursery fell silent—Max’s barking stopped too—and I realized some things are better left uncovered, but this, this changed everything.
