Aryyah woke at five AM with nausea so intense she barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting, her body heaving while she knelt on the cold tile floor and gripped the toilet; this had become her morning routine for the past two weeks, and the severity was increasing despite being only ten weeks pregnant.

She heard Cletus's footsteps in the hallway, then felt his hand gently pulling her hair back from her face. "It's getting worse," he said quietly, his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine," ...