Emilie Dufort lay on her back, eyes wide open. She resisted falling asleep, fighting the urge to rest after a busy day. She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was past midnight.
Jacques snored lightly beside her. He had been asleep for over an hour. She had waited, making sure he didn’t stir. But now it was safe.
She slowly slid to the edge of the bed and paused. When he didn’t move, she gently rose, sitting on the edge of the mattress. Just as she was about to leave, the snoring stopped. She froze. As she started to ease herself back down, he shuffled, muttered an incoherent word or two, and again started snoring.
She waited, her heart racing. She didn’t move for several minutes. But neither did Jacques. As gently as she could, she got out of bed. She took one step and paused, l
