Slow acceptance

Skylar sat on the edge of the bed in the new, secluded cabin Jason had dragged her to. The room was sparse, much like the last, but there was a palpable sense of isolation that was even more stifling. Jason had come back grim-faced, declaring this their new place for the foreseeable future.

“We can’t stay at the old house,” Jason had said, his eyes darting around the cabin. “Someone was lurking too close. We can’t risk it.”

Skylar had nodded slowly, her mind racing. The very fact that someone had been close to the old house gave her a glimmer of hope. Maybe Pietro and the police were closing in. She had to hold onto that hope, for her own sake and for the baby’s.

The days passed in a monotonous blur. Jason’s paranoia seemed to escalate, yet he oddly became more considerate towards Skylar, urging her to rest while he took on most of the cleaning. “You shouldn’t strain yourself,” he muttered one evening as he wiped down the kitchen counter. “You need to be healthy for when the baby c