Ruby's POV
The cabin was still.
Not peaceful—just… still. Like the quiet after a scream.
I sat on the couch, wrapped in one of Carter’s oversized flannel shirts that still smelled like pine and firewood. The warmth from the small fireplace flickered across the floor, but it didn’t reach my skin.
It was late. Or early. I couldn’t tell.
I had finally gotten the baby to settle with my whispers—maybe more for myself than her. I don’t even know what I’d said anymore. Just that the words felt like armor. Like something to hang on to while the rest of me unraveled.
I thought I was alone.
So when the floor creaked behind me, I jumped.
Carter stood in the doorway.
His eyes locked on me.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Something in my chest flipped.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said quickly, s
