I stayed by Caleb’s side, holding his hand, willing him to wake up. The paramedics assured me he was stable, just heavily sedated. “He’ll be okay, ma’am. Looks like he had a reaction to something he was given. We’ll know more once we get him to the hospital.”

My heart ached at the thought of Caleb being frightened, of him trusting Amber and being let down so cruelly. As they loaded him onto the stretcher, I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

In the following days, the truth unraveled. Amber’s so-called prank involved giving Caleb a “special” drink—a concoction meant to induce sleep, something she thought was harmless but had terrifying consequences. The police took her into custody, and the family was left in shock.