Zara slammed the door to her room with a force that rattled its hinges, leaning heavily against the worn wood as she tried to steady her pounding heart. Greg's smug expression, the oily gleam in his eyes, and the unspoken threats in his tone lingered in her mind like a bad taste.
She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply to calm herself.
Under her coat, Leo stirred slightly, his tiny hands brushing against her chest. She instinctively tightened her arms around him, shushing him softly. "It's okay, baby. We're safe," she murmured, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her own uncertainty.
Sliding down to the floor, Zara allowed herself a moment to think as she unwound Leo from her chest. He stretched cutely and then toddled to the corner of the room to play with his toys. Toys he pulled out of his space on instinct now. It was a good thing he spent most of his time outside the room strapped to her because it was still a bit hard for him to control himself.
