THIRD POV
Helen couldn’t sleep.
It wasn’t for lack of trying.
She had laid down earlier, closed her eyes, and willed her mind to quiet—to settle, to rest, to give her even a few hours of relief before the next inevitable wave of decisions and consequences came crashing in.
But it hadn’t worked.
Because her mind refused to slow down.
It kept circling the same thoughts.
The same conclusions.
The same impossible reality.
So she gave up.
Now she paced.
Back and forth across the room, her steps measured but restless, the soft fabric of her nightwear shifting with each turn.
The silence of the night wrapped around her, but it didn’t soothe her. If anything, it made everything louder—the thoughts, the weight of what she knew, the frustration of what she couldn’t change.
Her hands cl
