Chapter 4

I don't remember leaving the hospital. I don't remember Michael guiding me to his car, his arm steady around my shoulders as my legs threatened to give out with each step. All I remember is the weight of emptiness—the phantom sensation of Emma's body still in my arms even though they had taken her away.

The rain continued to pour as we drove in silence. Michael didn't ask where I wanted to go, and I was grateful. I couldn't return to that apartment—that beautiful prison where James had trapped me for years, where Emma's toys were still scattered across the…