I wake up on the sitting room floor with something warm against my back.
For a moment, I don't remember, then it rushes back… Bael's voice claiming the pregnancy, Feifei's sobs, the vomit on the floor, the room spinning into black.
Someone caught me.
Bael's arm is around me, keeping me upright. I can feel his chest against my shoulder blades, steady and solid while everything else spins.
The first thing I see when I blink my eyes open is Feifei.
She's still on the sofa, face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking, she won't look at me.
*She'll never look at me the same way again.*
The thought arrives cold and certain, settling somewhere behind my ribs.
"He's awake." Bael's voice rumbles through his chest into my back.
His arm loosens, the warmth disappears.
I'm on my own again, sitting on hardwood that's gone cold and unforgiving. My mouth tastes like bile and blood, everything hurts… ribs, face, my whole body.
