A horrifying thought rooted itself inside her: did the staff think Jake was dangerous? Had they separated him to protect her or the baby? The idea felt surreal, impossible, yet the evidence pressed in from all sides. She clutched her infant tighter, trying to steady the panic rising like a tide.
Sandra replayed Jake’s business-trip tension vividly. The silence. The long shower he had afterwards. The restless eyes in the dark. Was he afraid? Or had something happened, something he didn’t tell her? Doubt gnawed at her relentlessly, blurring the line between memory and suspicion until she wasn’t sure what to trust anymore.