The nurse handed her the baby, wrapped tightly in soft blankets, but her eyes drifted lower. Just beneath the neat C-section incision, another mark stretched faintly across her skin. It didn’t look raw like the C-section scar. But it looked like a mark that had been waiting to be found.
At first, she thought it was just swelling or some natural fold from the pregnancy. But when she touched it, the raised line felt different. It ran diagonally, jagged in places, unlike the clean surgical cut above it. Something about it unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
Days later, while the doctor examined her stitches, she pointed at the line. “What about this?” she asked lightly. He froze. The color drained from his face, and for a moment, his mouth opened without sound. Then he muttered, “I’m so sorry…”