Chapter Thirty-Seven

The salty tang of the ocean hung heavy in the air as Rory walked the quiet streets of their Calabasas neighborhood, needing to clear her head after another tense evening. The sprawling estates and towering palms stood sentinel along her path, offering both a sense of luxurious remove and an undercurrent of unspoken secrets hidden behind the elegant facades.

She walked until her limbs felt leaden, a hand pressed against the slight swell of her belly where new life grew. At ten weeks, her pregnancy still felt more surreal than tangible, another piece of their lives thrown into uncertainty with Jim's precarious health hanging in the balance.

Finally, lungs burning, Rory sank onto a bench in the nearby park, staring sightlessly at the ornate playground equipment and meticulous landscaping. She c……