I woke in darkness, the cold air of a rundown motel room pressing against my skin as if to remind me that I wasn’t free. For what felt like an eternity, I lay there, tangled in blankets and memories, the echo of last night’s revelation ringing in my ears: “Come home.” Those words had shattered my resolve and shattered every illusion I’d built during my frantic escape. Now, I was caught in that same moment—torn between the desperate urge to run further and the haunting pull of the past I’d left behind.
My heart pounded in time with the steady drip of rain on the roof, each drop a reminder of the storm outside and the storm inside me. I could still feel the imprint pulsing beneath my skin—a chain forged in betrayal and forced destiny. And then there was the baby, growing inside me with ever
