Prior to Jean leaving him, Casey has vivid dreams of intruders coming in to kill him and his family. He wakes one night after one of his dreams. He checks the windows and doors and returns to bed to his wife, Jean. He debates whether he should wake her up or not, ultimately deciding not to because she had a really bad anxiety attack the night before and was bound to wake up depressed. Once Jean wakes, he also gets up and gets their kids ready for school. Jean appears to be rather short, worrying about being late to her job as a dental assistant, where she is reminded almost daily about how negligent people can be. She then comes home to her family that she is almost always too tired for. Casey worked at the box office for a ballet company, a job that he finds relaxing. Casey recalls a time where he and Jean had a lovely date at the ballet company. He also remembers how something had changed in her that made want to figure something out. On the morning of the day she left, Casey had noticed that something was up and invited her to come to the performance that evening. Jean said that she might be too tired then, and remarks that she was tired now. Their kids were fighting. The younger Rodney had hit the elder Michael on the head and drew blood. Jean helps clean up Michael. She starts to cry saying that she was going to be late for work and that she was exhausted already. When Rodeny came looking for her, she snapped at him. Later that day, Jean tells Casey she was going to stay there that weekend. Then on Sunday, Jean tells him that she would be staying through the week. Casey is shocked and Jean starts crying when he expresses it. Jean is not clear as to what exactly is making her upset so Casey is confused as to what he did wrong. The kids feel something is wrong and ask about their mother. Casey can only say that she needs some time to herself. Jean was working more overtime with Dana’s husband. She was feeling more rested. She goes to the school 2-3 days a week to spend time with the boys as she had done for the past 2 years. She tells Casey that Michael’s teacher seems to have no idea what happened at home. One night, Casey is working. He suddenly sees Dana and Jean in the crowd. Jean wants to talk to Casey. She expresses that she is getting a place of her own and tells him that they have to decide about the kids. Casey is confused. Jean tells him that she was very unhappy in the marriage and that she was happier now that she was out of the house. Casey is filled with helpless rage. Jean leaves to find Dana and Casey know that she was just happy to be relieved of the situation. He goes home to his kids, scaring the babysitter awake. He looks in at his kids before going to bed himself, where he dreams of many intruders entering his house. He destroys them and establishes order.