Emily unlocked the front door of their marital residence and slipped inside before the driver could even cut the headlights. The house felt cavernous at night—polished marble floors echoing every step, chandeliers dimmed to a moody amber, a silence so thick it pressed on her chest.
Her heels clicked lightly across the foyer. She climbed the stairs, her mind replaying the clinic’s words, the ink of her ultrasound still staining her imagination: six weeks.
‘My body. My choice.’ She had whispered it in the exam room like a prayer. But the truth? Brian’s shadow filled every corner of that choice. Her mother’s house. Her project’s funding. His campaign. Every lever of her life, resting in his hand.
By the time she reached their bedroom, her pulse was raw. She undressed mechanically, pulled o
