They sat in the small counseling room at the end of the corridor, the walls painted in muted blues meant to calm frayed nerves. Olivia hadn’t spoken for minutes, just traced slow circles on her baby’s blanket. Finally, she looked up and whispered, “Did you think he hurt me?”
Elise hesitated, then nodded slightly. “I was afraid of that,” she admitted. Olivia’s eyes filled with tears. “He didn’t,” she said softly. “Nobody did.” The words cracked open something heavy in the room, a truth that had been pressing against silence for too long.