Lila POV
My nerves were frayed as I watched Cody—his eyes darting wildly, hands shaking every time Juliet cried. The motel room felt smaller every hour, the air thick with fear and desperation. I tried to soothe the baby, rocking her and humming softly, but Juliet’s tiny face was red and scrunched with distress, her cries echoing in my head long after they stopped.
Cody was unraveling. Each time Juliet whimpered, he snapped at me, accusing me of not doing things right, of making the baby worse. He barely slept, pacing the room or muttering in the bathroom with the water running. I could see how close he was to losing control, and I was terrified—not just for myself, but for Juliet.
I knew now that this had been a terrible mistake. Whatever fantasy Cody and I had shared about being a fam
