Despite our amazing anniversary celebration, we felt like the rug was yanked out from under us on the evening of January 2nd, just before Harry was scheduled to go on tour.

Harry and I both received several menacing emails from Cortin. There wasn't much in the way of words. They were mostly photos.

The first email was just plain annoying. It a series of pictures showing Harry's every move one day in LA. There were at least twenty pictures, documenting his every move from morning to evening. The intended message was clear: Cortin had been following Harry very closely.

The second message made me much more fearful. It contained pictures of ten of the venues where Harry would be performing over the next few months. Each arena was shown in the crosshairs of a gun.

The third message had me sobbing on the floor in a panic. There were many, many pictures of our children, going in and out of school, on the playground, and playing in our front yard. They weren't depicted in the scope of a gun, but Cortin Valow knew exactly what she was doing. She was terrorizing us, and threatening the people most dear to us.

Harry called 911 this time, wanting to communicate to the police that this was an imminently dangerous situation.

Then we called Charlie and Courtney and asked them to come and distract the kids while we spoke with the police. The kids had noticed the police coming over often, and they knew Officer Horan quite well, but for the most part, we had managed to keep them ignorant of the drama that was enveloping our family. Charlie and Courtney didn't hesitate and came over straightaway, taking the kids to the basement to watch movies.

It wasn't long before a few squad cars showed up in the front yard. Three officers came to the house and immediately searched the entire premises. Another four officers came shortly afterward to speak briefly with us, and then they left to investigate the neighborhood.

I have to admit that I was grateful when seven cops showed up to help us, but I was still trembling in fear.

"Harry, please call Phil or Liam. You can't leave tomorrow. Not while this is happening!"

Harry held me firmly and said, "Lise, I know you're scared, but I have to go. This is my first tour. I can't just not show up. It would destroy my career."

I pulled away and snapped, "So, you're going to let your family be destroyed instead?"

He frowned at me and calmly said, "No, Lise, of course not. Why do you think I called 911? I know that this is serious, but I trust the police to handle it. They will protect you while I'm gone."

"I don't want police protection," I whined. "I want your protection."

"I know, love. I promise that I will be in contact with the police every single day while I'm gone, and I will make sure they're doing everything they can do to catch the stalker. But I simply can't cancel this tour. You must realize that."

I didn't have an opportunity to answer because the three officers who were searching our property came back inside. They assured us that the property was secure and that there was no evidence that anyone had ever attempted a break-in, and there was no one posing an immediate threat to our safety, despite the terrorizing email messages.

We sat and talked with the police officers at length about all the threats that Cortin Valow had made. It was maddening that they weren't able to simply pull up a file with all of our information stored in it. Niall had been very thorough and we trusted him. I couldn't wait til he came back.

"Officer Horan already knows all of this, and he has leads that he has already investigated. Why do we need to re-hash all of this?" I asked, feeling my last shred of patience wearing away.

"As you know, Officer Horan is on vacation until tomorrow," Officer Simpson replied. "Horan is the best detective in our department."

"Yes, but is there no one else who knows the details of our case?" I asked.

"Sometimes it helps for others to see the case from a fresh perspective," he said, clearly avoiding the question.

Courtney got my attention at one point and told me that she and Charlie would put the kids to bed and then they would go and pack some clothes and come to stay at our house for a few days. I nodded, very grateful for their help, and I returned to the discussion.

Harry and I spoke with the officers for several hours, and they finally prepared to leave.

"Can you send an officer to be on watch over my family?" Harry asked.

"That isn't part of our protocol," Officer Simpson answered. "But we can make sure your neighborhood is patrolled on a regular basis. And just make sure your house alarm is set every night."

"All right," Harry sighed, clearly not happy with the response he'd received.

Everyone else was asleep by the time the officers left, including Charlie and Courtney who were staying in the guest room.

I wearily climbed into bed, knowing we only had a few hours to sleep before I had to get up and take Harry to the airport. And to make things a little more crazy, Ryan and Jess were moving in the next day. At least I'd be able to occupy my mind a little with their arrival.

Harry took about half an hour to finish packing his bags and then he finally climbed into bed next to me and tugged me close to him. I buried my head into his neck and sighed. I didn't want to let him go.

I thought I would feel better after a few hours of sleep, but the opposite proved true. I woke up feeling drained, irritated, and angry. I should have been directing my anger towards Cortin Valow, but instead it was directed towards my husband. I was short and snappy with him the whole time he was getting ready to leave, even though I knew that I should be savoring my last few moments with him.

When we got into the car to drive to the airport, he quietly said, "Please don't be like this, Lise."

It was a good thing he was driving, because I started sobbing. "I can't help it, Harry. I'm terrified. And I can't stand the thought of being without you for four months. I never thought that this is how it would be. You became famous and then all of a sudden, our family is in turmoil and our lives are in danger."

"First of all, I'll have a few breaks over the next four months, and we'll see each other. Also, I truly believe that everything will be okay, Lise. I really do. I'm not just saying that so you will feel safe. And I'm not just saying that to make myself feel better. I think they will catch this person soon since she's becoming much more bold with her threats. She can't hide forever."

"So, you're not afraid?" I asked.

"Not really. Of course, I'm worried about you because this is all so difficult for you, but I'm not afraid for myself. I'll be fine."

"What about our children?" I demanded. "Aren't you afraid for them?!"

"No, I'm not afraid for them either, Lise, because you're doing enough worrying for everyone!" He said, sounding exasperated.

"So, you're mad at me for being worried?!" I asked incredulously. "I should be mad at you for acting like this is no big deal. Harry, someone is threatening to kill you, me, and our children! I would think you'd quit your job and move home to be with us, but instead, you're acting as if I've gone off the deep end. I'm not the villain here! I've been busting my ass with the house renovations and the move and getting the kids to school and getting everything ready for birthdays and the holidays and everything else that goes with raising a family and running a household. You've only been home long enough to reap the rewards. You get to see the kids at their best while I'm the one who has to be a single parent!"

I gradually realized that I was ranting, but I couldn't stop the words flowing out of my mouth. It was as if a dam had broken, and I couldn't stop the tide of hurtful accusations that came flooding out.

"You get to go out and have fun, meet celebrities and have girls falling all over you while I stay home and play house! It's not fair, Harry! And you know what? I hate it!" I screamed.

My brain was pleading, Lise, shut your mouth right now! But my mouth didn't comply.

"I wish I'd never encouraged you to become a singer! Life would be so much easier if you had stayed at home and found a normal job. I hate your career, Harry! It's tearing us apart!"

After I had vomited all of that into the air, the car filled with an awkward silence. Harry didn't respond right away and I didn't know if he would. His face was stoic; it almost looked as if he hadn't heard a thing that I said.

I sat there in uncomfortable regret. I didn't want to say anything else, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear what Harry had to say after my vicious tirade. This wasn't the way I had wanted to say good-bye before his tour, but there was nothing I could do to take back the words I had so carelessly spoken.

Neither of us said anything for the remainder of the drive to the airport. He pulled up at the curb where I usually let him off. We both quietly climbed out of the car. I stood on the curb while Harry retrieved his bags. I felt the sting of tears in my eyes while I waited for him. I hated that he was leaving and I hated myself even more for not being able to keep my mouth shut.

"See you soon," he said, placing a quick kiss to my cheek. And then he walked away, not even letting me say good-bye.

He didn't even say I love you.

I fought hard to control my tears as I drove out of the airport and back toward the freeway. I had to see clearly enough to drive, but I couldn't help feeling completely horrible about everything I'd said. Harry was about to embark on an exciting adventure, and I just shot him down. I might as well have just told him that he was being selfish and that I was too weak to handle his newfound fame. And I sent him off without even telling him that I loved him.

I hated myself for doing that to him. But I managed to get myself under control enough to make it home in one piece.

I returned home to find the day was in full swing with Aunt Courtney at the helm of my busy home. Charlie had gotten up at the crack of dawn to help Ryan and Jess move into their new house. I wanted to go down and check in, but Courtney looked like she was ready for a nap.

"Why don't you go and lie down for a while?" I suggested. "I can go over to Ryan's later."

She nodded and immediately took her leave. I sat down on the floor with Danny while he fumbled with some blocks. The girls gathered around us at different times, jabbering about their excitement over Ryan and Jessica's move. I absentmindedly took part in their conversation. My brain was consumed with all the thoughtless things that I had said to Harry in the car. Maybe I had finally driven him to the end of his patience with me. I couldn't wait to talk to him again, but the plan was for him to simply text when he arrived at his hotel tonight. Since this was his first tour, there were many preparations that had to be made before the first concert in two days.

The day dragged on and I hardly noticed the activity around me. I drove to Ryan's house after Courtney woke up. I could have walked, but I took the car since I had some freezer meals that I had made for them. I didn't allow the kids to come with me. I told them that it would be too hectic for them to visit, but that they could see Uncle Ryan's house soon. In reality, I was afraid to let the children out of the house. It was the only place where I felt they were safe. In fact, I was seriously considering the idea of keeping them home from school, which would resume on Monday, until Valow was caught.

That evening, after the excitement of the day had died down, I sat down at my computer, dreading what I might find. Luckily, there wasn't anything suspicious, so I breathed a peaceful sigh. After checking my email, Facebook, and a few tabloid sites, I shut the computer down, turned on the house alarm and locked all the doors, and then said good-night to everyone. Just before I fell asleep, I sent a simple text to Harry: I'm sorry. I love you. He didn't text back right away, so he must still be busy doing rehearsals or whatever he had to do. I hoped that I would wake up when he sent me his "I'm here" text so I could call him.

But I didn't wake up until the sun shone through my bedroom window. I heard some shuffling around in the kitchen, so I figured the kids were up already. I checked my phone to see if Harry had texted and he hadn't. Maybe he was really mad at me. I wouldn't blame him if he was.

I got up and took a shower, and then I was launched into another busy day of helping Ryan and Jess to get settled and getting my kids ready to go back to school, even though I wasn't sure if they'd be going back yet. Finally, around 10:30 PM that night, Harry finally texted and said, Sorry, so busy. I'm here and exhausted. How are you?

I tried to call him immediately after reading the text, but he didn't pick up. I left a voicemail, hoping he would return the call soon. I drifted off to sleep with the phone in my hand, but Harry never called back.

Courtney managed to convince me to let the kids go to school on Monday. She would drive them there and back, and they would be walking in and out of the school building with her. They would be as safe with her as they were with me.

Danny and I went about our day as usual, playing on the floor, having a snack, doing a little bit of coloring at the table. Then I put him down for a nap and decided I would try to grab a quick snooze myself. I laid down in my comfy bed and pulled out my phone. Harry and I hadn't spoken at all, but he had finally sent another text: Concert tonight. Wish me luck! Skype tomorrow?

My quick response was: Sure thing, babe. Wish I could be there. I LOVE YOU! Talk to you soon!

I woke up a few hours later to the sound of the doorbell. I rushed to the front door to find Niall standing there with a grin. That's right, I had forgotten I had spoken to him earlier in the day and he said he would come over this afternoon to touch base.

I threw my arms around him and said, "Welcome back! How was Michigan?" I pulled him inside while awaiting his reply.

"It was great," he said, unzipping his coat. "Hope's family is the best."

"I'm so happy for you, Niall. But I'm really happy you're back," I sighed.

"What's been going on?" He asked.

I heard Danny crying so I excused myself to get him from his crib. I came back into the living room where Niall was seated and asked, "Can you hold him for a minute while I get my laptop?"

"Sure thing. Come here, buddy," he cooed. "How's my favorite little guy?" Danny went straight to Niall's arms.

I smiled at his affection for Danny. I quickly retrieved my laptop and sat down next to Niall, opening my email folder.

Niall read quietly while Danny sat snuggled in his lap.

"You and Hope will make good parents," I said.

"Thanks," he laughed, and then continued reading.

"Well, Cortin Valow's threats are becoming more sinister, that's for sure." Danny squirmed out of Niall's lap and ran across the room to get a toy. Niall turned to look straight at me and said, "I won't stop working on this case til we find out who this is, okay? You have my word, Lise."

"Thanks, Niall," I said, giving him a quick hug. "Why are you the only police officer who seems to take this seriously?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I'll do everything I can to keep your family safe."

Cortin Valow's mode of operating had always been to send a bunch of messages and then drop out of sight for a while, and this time proved no different. After Niall and I touched base, there were no more texts, emails or tweets for a few weeks.

I had started to relax and enjoy having my brother nearby. Ryan came over often to visit and just to make sure we were safe. Courtney and Charlie had stayed with me for the first week after Harry was gone, but I finally convinced them to go home. I did feel safer knowing that they were across the yard, and that Ryan was just a few blocks away. My family was always on speed dial, and I never forgot to set the house alarm when we went to bed.

Harry and I had gotten a chance to Skype after his first concert as he promised, but we didn't get much time to talk since the kids were nearby, wanting to talk to Daddy. At the end of the call, I simply said, "Harry, I love you and I'm proud of you."

He smiled and said, "I know, luv. I love you, too."

He had about three concerts each week, as well as regular radio interviews in different cities, meet and greets, and a few talk show interviews as well. We had to look at the schedule and make sure we made time for us to talk. In terms of tours, four months was on the short side, but it felt like it would be an eternity. He would have a break at the end of February after fifteen concerts. The plan was for the children and myself to fly out to LA so we could see his new apartment, as we had previously discussed. We were especially excited about that trip because Harry would have two concerts in LA right before we left, and we would be able to attend the first one before flying home.

I had Harry's concert schedule posted on the refrigerator, and we penciled in every Skype date we had. The kids and I both counted the days between our Skype calls. We loved seeing him every chance we got.

Ryan had gotten a job with a law firm in St. Paul and he was already working overtime, undoubtedly trying to prove to his new employers that he was a top-notch lawyer. Jess had found a part-time job, so she came over to visit often. I enjoyed her company, and I was so thankful that my brother had found her.

Just when my defenses were down and I was starting to feel comfortable with the fact that Harry was gone, yet another tabloid picture shattered my illusions of security.

This one was the most intrusive and the most unsettling. It was a picture of Harry sitting in a dark booth in a restaurant, kissing another woman.