You look pale, El,” David said, not turning around. His voice dripped with a concern that was thick and sweet like molasses, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes when he finally glanced at me. “You need to rest. I’ve prepared that special herbal tea you like. It’s good for the baby’s brain development.”

I sat at the island, my hand resting protectively over the swell of my belly. I was thirty-four weeks pregnant, huge and uncomfortable, feeling like a planet orbiting the sun of David’s ego. I watched him. Not with the adoration I used to have, but with the cold, calculating scrutiny of a detective watching a suspect through a two-way mirror.