The island had gone quiet again.

Too quiet.

I spent the morning in the nursery, slowly folding the same tiny onesies I had folded the day before. The repetitive motion was soothing a small anchor in the middle of everything that felt like it was spinning out of control. My belly was heavy now, the baby active and strong, kicking with a rhythm that sometimes felt like a heartbeat of its own.

Daddy found me there, as he always did. He leaned against the doorframe for a moment, watching me with that intense, unreadable expression before stepping inside.

“You’ve been in here a lot lately,” he said softly, coming up...