I looked back at the half-open door.
I didn’t answer right away.
Because I didn’t know.
“I don’t know,” I finally said. “But I think she is.”
The dispatcher’s tone sharpened instantly.
“Stay on the line. Officers are on their way. Do not confront him directly. Do you understand?”
I nodded—then realized she couldn’t see me.
“Yes.”
My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Inside, I heard the timer beep.
A sharp, mechanical sound.
Then silence.
Then water moving.
I stepped back from the door, pressing myself against the wall like I could disappear into it. My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone.
“Ma’am, where are you right now?” the dispatcher asked.
“In the hallway,” I whispered. “Outside the bathroom.”
“Good. Stay there. Help is close.”
Seconds stretched into something unbearable.
Then—
Footsteps.
The water shut off.
The door opened.
I forced myself to look normal.
Mark stepped out first, towel over his shoulder, that same easy smile on his face.
“Sophie’s almost done,” he said casually. “You didn’t need to wait up here.”
I stared at him.
At his face.
At the man I had shared a bed with for years.
And for the first time…
I felt nothing familiar.
Only distance.
Only cold.
“I just wanted to say goodnight,” I said, my voice steady in a way that surprised even me.
He studied me for a second.
Too long.
Like he was trying to read something.
Then he nodded. “She’ll be out in a minute.”
He walked past me.
And I smelled it again.
That same faint, strange scent.
