The voice was sharp enough to slice the air in two. Maya jolted awake to see Nathaniel Blake looming over her, his face carved in cold fury.

Before she could answer, he yanked the baby from her arms. The sudden emptiness was like being punched.

“Filthy. Disgusting,” he snapped. “That’s something you don’t touch. You serve it. You watch it. But you don’t ever hold it.”

“No, please,” Maya said, pushing herself up on her elbows. “She just fell asleep. She wouldn’t stop crying—”