About that inflation:
Imagine an immense black hole. A universe’s worth of matter spiraling in, falling, falling, falling, the gravity well getting deeper and deeper, stretching space time to the breaking point.
At the breaking point the tip of the well tears free and isolates itself into a separate universe.
Everything above the tear is no longer being pulled down by that torn away mass and the very fabric of space time rebounds like a parted rubber band, all the matter plastered to the wall gets abruptly ejected. It’s speed is limited to C, BUT, the space that was confined to beyond the pre-tear event horizon also pours out, and the expansion OF space is not limited to C, as its “motion” is that of the very frame of reference expanding. Locally it’s always “below” C, but the net expansion “looks” superluminal...