I didn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t sleep at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Martin disappearing into the trees. The gunshot kept ringing in my ears. And the forest, I could feel the branches clawing at my skin. The whole thing lingered in my chest, and it was as if I was reliving it over and over.
The safe house was quiet, like the calm after a storm, but it felt like it wasn't over yet. I sat curled up on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket, staring blankly at the wall. Martin’s phone lay beside me. The only thing I had of him was the baby growing inside me.
I hadn’t cried, not yet. The incident was alarming, but my throat ached from holding it in. Nothing must happen to Martin, I kept telling myself. Martin can't leave me and his child alone in this dreadful world, not
