Beyond His Savior's Touch

very morning. He' d place it on my pillow before

s, memorized my scattered painting schedules, and built a custom easel that wouldn't strain my back. To the world, he was Dr. Ben Carter,

owed a week later by the shadow on an MRI scan. Joy a

ggressive, and my pregnancy

m down in our sun-drenched living room, the half-fini

d, my voice shaking. "You deserve a

shout. He didn' t argue. He slowly stood up, walked to the fireplace, and methodically smashed the

to face me with eyes that burned with a terrifying intensity,

focus. He built the lab, he studied, he worked day and night. For two years, he was my caregiver, my researcher, my everythin

miliar comfort. "I will not lose you, Sarah. I'

they were hollow. They were a performance. The love was still t

come total, Sarah. It' s not a matter of if, but when. Based on the

s. That' s all

ed her, my voice flat. "Don' t tel

d, her brow furro

ng like ash in my mouth, "he' ll do something drastic. Something... reckle

Ben walked in, carrying a bouquet of garde

n hour late fo

forehead. "Got held up at the lab. We

ain. Faint, but unmistakable. The sweet

rch assistant. The p

sn' t held up by a petri d

e nightstand. A text

p. My hands w

houlder, in the background, was the unmistakable corner of Ben' s desk at

ing one of Ben' s lab coats, unb

ausea, completely unrelated to

h now feeling like a violation. "

photo on my phone. The man who would burn down t

spered, changing the subject, my voice

t the life inside me. A child who dese

st ended. My fight for my ch