AVA'S POV
The following morning, I woke up before the sun.
The house was still, wrapped in that peculiar hush only new motherhood could teach you to cherish. The kind where your body aches but your heart hums softly, knowing your child is safe and your world, though imperfect, is no longer fractured.
Zariah stirred faintly in the crib beside the bed, her tiny mouth sucking the air in dreams. Ethan, who had stayed up with her for most of the night, was fast asleep on the couch in the nursery, one hand hanging over the side, the other still loosely holding one of her pink socks.
It was oddly endearing.
He had insisted he'd "just close his eyes for a second."
I pulled the blanket gently over him and walked into our bedroom. I sat at the edge of the bed, facing the window. Outside, the sky wore a velvet blue, with streaks of lavender curling into dawn. The world looked quiet. Forgiving.
My phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
