Chapter 3 - Whispers in the Nursery
Julian walked silently down the carpeted hallway toward the boys' nursery. The door was slightly ajar, spilling a soft sliver of golden nightlight into the corridor.
He peered inside.
Leo and Theo were tucked beneath their fleece blankets, fast asleep, their breathing rhythmic and peaceful for the first time in four years.
Beside their beds sat Clara on the floor, leaning her head against the mattress. She was still wearing her uniform, whispering softly as she smoothed the curls from Leo’s forehead.
"My brave little soldiers," Clara murmured, her voice thick with tears. "You fought so hard to breathe that night. Mommy is so sorry she couldn't protect you from the dark."
Julian’s breath caught in his throat.
He watched her hands. When she stroked Theo’s ear, she made a very specific, unconscious movement—using the soft pad of her thumb to trace a small counter-clockwise circle behind the earlobe.
Elena had done that exact same gesture to Julian whenever he had a migraine. It was a reflex unique to her.
Suddenly, Clara reached into her pocket, pulled out a small hairbrush, and gently brushed out a stray curl from Leo’s pillow, setting the brush on the nightstand. She stood up, kissed both boys softly on their brows, and moved toward the nursery’s adjoining bathroom.
The moment the bathroom door clicked shut, Julian slipped into the nursery like a shadow.
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He took a sterile plastic bag from his pocket, used a pair of precision tweezers to lift several strands of Clara’s hair from the brush, and then collected two fallen cheek-swabs and hair follicles from Leo’s pillow.
Julian sealed the bag, tucked it into his inner jacket pocket, and slipped back into the hallway without making a sound.
