As I stood at the sink, hands moving methodically over each dish, my mind wandered back to earlier, to that moment when Vivian had finally drifted off to sleep on the couch. I’d been sitting nearby, watching over her, making sure she was comfortable, but I hadn’t expected what would happen next.
She’d shifted in her sleep, her body moving in slow, unconscious motions that were… different. Her head had tilted to the side, a faint, peaceful smile playing on her lips as she wiggled slightly, a soft sound escaping her. I’d heard it then—a low, quiet moan, soft and warm, like she was lost in a dream that wasn’t innocent in the slightest. It wasn’t pain; it was something else entirely, something that made my blood run hot and my heart beat faster.
In that moment, my entire body had gone rigid,
