Chapter 1: The Neighbor in the Heat
At thirty-four weeks pregnant, my life had become a narrow, airless room of fear.
Every morning, I woke to foreclosure notices on the table, bills stacked beside the sink, and the crushing silence of a house that no longer felt like mine. My ex-husband had disappeared the moment he learned about the baby, leaving behind nothing but debt, unanswered calls, and promises that had turned to dust.
My body ached under the weight of a future I could not afford. Some nights, I sat on the edge of the bed with one hand on my belly, whispering apologies to a child who had not even taken her first breath.
That afternoon, I was standing by the window, staring at nothing, when I saw Mrs. Higgins across the street.
She was struggling with a rusted mower in the sweltering heat, her thin arms shaking as she tried to push it through grass that had grown wild around her yard.
I should have turned away.
I had every excuse.
But I didn’t.