Valerie arrived for a prenatal examination after a restless night filled with tightening discomfort that stirred unfamiliar anxiety, her movements slow yet hopeful, while Connor guided her gently by the elbow, projecting the attentive devotion admired by nurses and visitors alike. She wore comfortable flats, a pale cardigan, and the quiet fatigue common to expectant mothers, believing this visit would conclude without incident, until the echo of decisive footsteps interrupted the fragile calm.
A woman approached with unmistakable confidence.
Sabine Keller advanced along the corridor in a tailored ivory coat, her gaze unwavering, her heels striking the polished floor with a rhythm that commanded attention long before her presence reached them. Valerie recognized the name instantly, because she had once glimpsed it briefly upon Connor’s phone, stored deceptively under the label of professional correspondence, an explanation Connor had delivered with effortless conviction.
Sabine stopped directly before them, her smile carrying neither warmth nor hesitation.
“So you are the wife,” Sabine declared coolly, her voice sharp enough to draw curious glances from passing staff.