Hidden Burdens

~VALERIE'S POV~

(One hour earlier: At the hospital, before the motel confrontation)

The discharge papers felt like lead in my trembling hands as I signed the final line, my signature barely readable through the haze of exhaustion and shock.

The pregnancy report was still burning a hole in my pocket, its secret weight making every movement feel surreal.

I couldn't bring myself to look at Toby as we