Spring faded into summer.

In June, Francesca’s lower belly started to show. It was high and pointy—probably a little girl.

On summer nights, the sky turned a deep, inky blue.

Wisteria wrapped around the villa’s trellis in full bloom. The flowers swayed with the night breeze, strings of soft purple, bright and sweet in the dark.

Francesca leaned back in a lounge chair, half-asleep.

A small blanket covered ...