Raisel - POV

“Soren,” I whispered like a prayer. “Is it really you?”

“Raisins, this isn’t a dream.”

His voice—deep, warm, and familiar—washed over me like a balm. He reached for my hand, his touch grounding me. But then pain exploded in my abdomen, sharp and sudden.

“Ahh!”

The cry tore from my lips before I could stop it. My vision blurred as the pain clenched tighter, burning from the inside out.

“She’s dilating,” the nurse called out as the ...