Ivy’s POVI didn’t sleep. Sleep refused to come even for a brief moment.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the doctor’s face, her lips moving in slow motion, that one word echoing in my skull like a curse and a miracle all at once.

Pregnant.

The candle beside my bed had burned low, wax pooling at its base. Dawn hadn’t even arrived yet, but my body wouldn’t let me rest. My hand kept drifting to my stomach as though maybe, if I touched it enough, it would stop feeling real.

By morning, ...