“They took my phone.”

“They said I needed to rest and didn’t need any distractions.”

The room went completely silent except for the rhythmic sigh of the ventilator.

Arthur cleared his throat.

“She was locked in, Doctor,” Arthur said.

“The deadbolt on the front door was locked from the outside.”

“The back door was bolted shut.”

“She had to break a window screen just to scream for help.”

Dr. Vance slowly lowered her notepad.

Her expression changed from clinical concern to something much darker.

“You were locked inside your home?” she asked, her voice dropping an octave.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“With a newborn?”

“Yes.”

“And no way to contact the outside world?”

“My mother-in-law, Patricia, said it was for my own good,” I said, the words feeling heavy and shameful.

“She said I was being hysterical about the baby’s breathing.”

“She told Landon that I just needed to sleep, and she locked the door so I wouldn’t wander out.”

Dr. Vance stood up from her chair.

She did not look at me; she looked at the nurse standing by the door.

The nurse gave a short, firm nod.