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“I’m beat. I’m going to bed. And calling it a day.” He looks at me. “You coming?”
“I’ll be there shortly.”
“Okay.” Setting the glass down, he rises from the island and gives me a peck on my cheek before heading out.
When he’s out of sight, I help myself to some wine, straight from the bottle. There’s not much left. At most a few gulps. Draining it, I smile.
Nurse Marley is going to fix our marriage.
And help me keep my secret.
TEN
AVA
My eyes flutter open.
I fumble for my phone on the night table. I’m amazed to see it’s almost nine o’clock. Almost twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. Not woken by Isa’s wails, the discomfort caused by my PGP, or one of my terrifying nightmares. The truth is—thanks to Nurse Marley—I feel the best I’ve felt in ages. I sit up easily.
The house is eerily quiet. Ned’s not here. He must have gotten up earlier and gone to his office. I guess I was sleeping so heavily I didn’t hear him. It had to be the wine.
With the press of a button, I open the floor-to-ceiling blackout curtains. It’s the only way Ned can sleep—in total, complete, utter darkness. One of the major compromises I had to make when I moved in. Darkness frightens me. Brings on the nightmares. As a child, the only way I could fall asleep was with the lamp on. But that didn’t stop the night terrors.
The curtains part and I peer out the sliding glass doors. Another gray day. The onset of June gloom, though June first is actually tomorrow. When my baby will officially be one week old. How did time fly by so fast?
Eager to see her, I roll out of bed with my phone in hand and toddle to the nursery. The door is slightly ajar. I swing it open, but Nurse Marley’s not there, nor is Isa in her crib with her blanket. Moreover, Nurse Marley’s big black duffel bag is nowhere in sight.
I swallow back my trepidation. They must be in the kitchen. Nurse Marley must be preparing a bottle or feeding Isa. I force myself to take another calming breath and make my way there as quickly as I can. Every step hurts. I’m not as well as I thought.
No one is in the kitchen. I scan the room. Ned’s coffee mug is on the counter, but there’s no sign of the bottle sterilizer. It’s gone.
“Nurse Marley!” I shout out, hoping she’ll appear. “Are you here?”
Silence. No response. Gulping back dread, I hurry to the living room. No one’s there either. The phone in my cold, trembling hand, I scroll for Marley’s number. Where is it? It’s not in my contacts list, but then I remember it’s among my recent calls.
I immediately hit the callback number, but it doesn’t ring; instead I get that robotic message that her voicemail box is full.
Maybe they’re outside. Fueled by adrenaline, I scurry to the glass doors that lead to the backyard. I struggle to slide them open—they’re heavier than I remember from before I got pregnant. On my next yank, a knife-like pain stabs me in my gut, so razor sharp I groan. My hand shoots to my lower abdomen and my fingertips are met with something wet and warm. I glance down. Blood is saturating the fabric of my nightgown. I’ve ripped open one of my sutures. But it’s not a lot, and I don’t let it hold me back.
Finally, I manage to slide the glass doors apart, just enough so I can slip through them.
The backyard is shrouded in fog. I can barely see the pool or the view.
“Nurse Marley!” I call out as I frantically search the yard, worried I’ll either fall into the pool or off the precipice at the edge of the property. The steep rocky drop is over five thousand feet and one misstep could lead to my death.
A horrific thought flashes into my head. Oh God. Did Nurse Marley and my baby fall over the bluff? No, no, they couldn’t have, I tell myself. For sure, I would have heard a scream.
Banishing that thought, I squeeze back inside the house through the sliding doors. There’s one more place to check: the front yard. Maybe Nurse Marley took Isa out for a breath of fresh air. When I get to the entryway, panic again seizes me.
Isa’s stroller is gone! I hurry outside. And so is Marley’s car. She did park it outside in the driveway. Didn’t she?
My hand flies to my mouth. My pulse thumps everywhere it can. Oh God! Did I judge Marley wrong? Did she kidnap my baby?
Has one of my worst nightmares come true?
ELEVEN
AVA
