KalebI find Charlie in the nursery.The hallway is quiet, but the air inside the room is vibrating with a frantic, jagged energy that makes the hair on my arms stand up.Sophie, the young nanny, is pressed against the wall by the rocking chair, her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror. She looks like she wants to run but is too afraid to move.And Charlie...Charlie is hunched over the changing table, scrubbing our son’s foot.She isn't using a cloth. She’s using her thumb, rubbing the skin of his heel hard enough to turn it red. She’s muttering to herself, a low, broken stream of denial."Get off," she hisses, her voice cracking. "Get off him. Get off."The baby starts to cry. A sharp, startled sound of pain."Charlie!"I cross the room in two strides. I grab her wrists, pulling her hands away from him."Stop," I command, my voice rough. "You’re hurting him.""It won't come off!" she screams, fighting my grip. Her eyes are wild, the pupils blown so wide the blue is almost
Last Updated : 2025-12-17 Read more