Loretta stood barefoot in the bathroom, brushing her teeth with one hand and scrolling absently through her phone with the other when a small, intrusive thought pierced the haze in her brain.
Wasn’t my period supposed to come last week?
She paused.
Toothbrush halfway to her lips, foam gathered in the corners of her mouth, thumb hovering above the screen. A strange stillness settled in her chest.
She opened her calendar app and began to scroll back. She wasn’t always consistent, but she liked to keep track, especially since things had been stressful lately.
Her last period had come just before the dinner with Uncle Raymond.
Almost five weeks ago.
She stared at the screen, heart thudding. No red dots after that. No notes. Nothing.
Her mouth suddenly felt dry, toothpaste burning her t
