Abby paced the apartment for the rest of the morning, her footsteps wearing an invisible path into the carpet. She forced herself to eat a sandwich for lunch only because her stomach had started to ache, a dull reminder that she’d skipped breakfast entirely. She barely tasted it. The bread felt like sawdust in her mouth, the filling bland and heavy as her thoughts spiraled back to Olivia’s visit.
To the panic in her eyes. To the way she’d clutched her baby like the world was waiting to steal him away.
At one point, Abby turned on the television, hoping the noise might drown out her thoughts. Instead, it only added to the tension already crawling beneath her skin. Every laugh track grated. Every sharp sound made her flinch.
With a frustrated groan, she shut it off and dropped back onto t
