The sudden tug against her throat made her cough and sputter. She fell back against the pillow, her hands fumbling at the collar. She couldn’t remove it when it was locked to the chain, not that she would dare anyway. She lay still, letting the dark dreams ebb away and willing herself to calm down. She reached for the sheets, which had twisted around her legs, pulling them up to her chin. “You’re okay,” she murmured to herself. She turned toward the baby monitor that sat beside her on the nightstand. Was he listening, even now? Her hand twitched with the desire to smash the monitor, to hurl it across the room, but she didn’t touch it, too afraid of what might happen if she did. There was a light glimmering from the bathroom, the door of which had been left ajar. Rae ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back from her face. She closed her eyes, imagining the hot, refreshing water of the shower streaming over her, fresh, sweet smelling soap washing away the sweat and grime, cleansing her of his touch.
