Chapter 1: The Envelope
The adrenaline of birth still hummed in my veins, a static electricity that made my limbs tremble. I sat up in the stark, overly bright hospital bed, the scent of iodine and bleach hanging heavy in the air, clutching my newborn son to my chest. He felt impossibly light, a warm, fragile bundle of life that commanded every ounce of my attention. My husband, Ryan, had just slipped out of the room with his mother, Diane. They mumbled something about needing to “retrieve a bag from the car.” I hadn’t questioned it; I was far too absorbed in the miraculous, terrifying reality of memorizing the tiny, breathing face in my arms.
Then, my grandfather, Walter, walked in.
He didn’t possess his usual, booming warmth. The lines around his eyes were drawn tight, and his expression was carved from stone. He deliberately pushed the heavy door shut until the latch clicked, then his gaze immediately darted to the empty vinyl chair where Ryan had been sitting.
“Where exactly is your husband, Lena?” he asked. His voice was pitched low, a rumble that vibrated with an unsettling urgency.
