Louise’s grandmother had passed away two years prior, leaving her newly renovated home to Louise. “I think we should move into my grandmother’s house,” Louise suggested. “It’s just bigger than our apartment, and we won’t have to worry about rent or anything like that.” I agreed with her — moving would save us a lot of money. But it would also help us settle down enough to start thinking about kids, “Fine,” I conceded. “Let’s move into grandma’s house.” The move went smoothly. We settled into our new routine well, with constant date nights, weekends away, and frequent discussions about having kids. At first, Louise and I were happy with the house — but then we started to renovate things to our liking. I redid the third bedroom, turning it into a home office for us, while Louise revamped the kitchen. We were thriving. We loved it. But then, Louise began to tackle the second bathroom, close to our bedroom. She arranged for a contractor to come in and change the entire layout of the bathroom. “Connor, honey,” she said, “please don’t go in there. It’s just a space for me, okay? It’s really important that you understand that.” Of course, I didn’t understand. But I loved Louise, and I figured that eventually, when she was done with whatever she had planned, she would let me in. But weeks bled into months, and there was still no sign of Louise showing me the room.
One night, when she had gone to sleep early while I was watching sports, my curiosity got the better of me. I wasn’t a jealous man, but I did want to know what my wife was up to. Quietly, I went into her bathroom. It seemed perfectly ordinary, if not a little refreshed with new paint. But there, toward the corner of the bathroom, I noticed a little hole, with a red glow shining through it. What on earth is that? I wondered to myself. I got down on my knees and peered through the hole. I was shocked to my core to see dozens of eyes peering back at me, the red glow making them more terrifying than I would have admitted. A shiver shot down my spine. “Connor?” Louise’s voice echoed in the bathroom. “What are you doing here?” I knew that voice. Louise was livid. “I was just washing my hands,” I said, stupidly. “Connor, you saw what’s behind the wall, didn’t you?”