Josephine
The night had been both too long and way too short. After jumping at the tiniest sound — the silliest being that I scared myself by yawning — I finally fell asleep. It felt like I’d only blinked. My eyes were already gritty when the alarm blared, dragging me out of a dream I couldn’t remember but was sure had been stressful. It had Derek in it, so definitely intense.
Bleary‑eyed, I woke up expecting today to be the day everything finally moved forward. Today was the appointment at the clinic. A big one. The insemination check — the whole surreal next step in this bizarre new life I’d signed myself into.
Still not fully awake or properly functioning, I sat up and listened. The morning felt… wrong. Too quiet. Too still. Like the house itself was holding its breath. After yesterd
