Penelope's POV

Nobody warned me that the first trimester would feel like being slowly poisoned.

I’d read the books and talked to my mother, who called pregnancy "uncomfortable but manageable." I now suspected that was a lie told by survivors. I was nauseous all morning, exhausted by the afternoon, and hit by intense, specific cravings by evening.

In week seven, I wanted pickles and cream cheese on toast. By week nine, it was plain cold rice. At week eleven, I sent Timothy out for a specific ...