Esther’s POV
The moon had already climbed past the roof when I finally closed the infirmary door behind me. Carl lay sleeping under a haze of sedatives, the thin sheet rising and falling with his fragile breath. Sofia had curled into the chair beside him, thumb tucked under her cheek, dreaming through the beeps and hushes of the medical wing.
For the first time in hours, I was alone.
I let my forehead rest against the cold wood of the door and forced a breath past my ribs. The image of Nicholas walking out earlier—silent, expressionless, leaving Dan behind with his quiet orders—looped in my head like an echo.
He had carried Carl as if the boy mattered. And Carl had hated it.
My stomach turned. When Carl had whispered later—“Mom, don’t let him touch me again”—I’d forced a smile and str
