The questions kept her awake as much as the newborn’s cries. Even as she fed her baby, she thought, why was there no explanation? Why did she feel like her body carried someone else’s story—one that had been hidden from her until now? Each time she closed her eyes, she saw that scar more clearly than ever.
In the days that followed, the odd scar began to ache. It wasn’t sharp pain, but a dull, dragging sensation that flared when she moved. Every time she bent to lift her baby, it tugged, as though something beneath her skin was reminding her it didn’t belong there.