7

7

In the late weekend sunlight, Sidney woke to an empty bed, the sheets still cooling from when Tony had vacated before dawn. She ran her palm along the mattress and arched her back until her muscles awakened. She rolled her eyes closed again to bask in the brief quiet of her mind. Before the thoughts would begin to stir again. As it registered that her son was not under her roof, she dragged herself from the comfort of her pillows.

Sidney stumbled on half-conscious legs, a light ache drawing lines towards her hips. She smiled at the gentle strain in her step and placed her hands on top of her dresser. As the sleep cleared from her eyes, the miniature blue baby booties came into focus. Aiden had given them to her when they returned home from the hospital after she had Cameron. She had tossed and abandoned everything else Aiden had given her when she was forced from their home, yet she could not part with those. She was still the mother of his child. She pulled her eyes from the