Elena’s POV

By the time Isabella and Peter arrive, I am so heavily pregnant that I feel as though my body no longer fully belongs to me, as if I am carrying not just a child but time itself, each slow step a reminder that the end of this long, frightening, exhausting journey is finally within reach, even if every movement sends a sharp ache through my lower back and every breath feels heavier than the last. Cole keeps telling me to rest.

He says it gently, lovingly, but I can hear the worry ...