Alvara
The sunlight filtered into the room, unfamiliar but comforting. I opened my eyes slowly, letting it wash over me, warming my face in a way I hadn’t felt in weeks. Then it hit me, I was actually in my mother’s house, not the tiny quarters I had grown up in. This house wasn’t ours either; it had been given to us by the Vales before the wedding, a secret space to hide their househelps from prying eyes. A place to make sure we were under constant watch. We knew better, this house was never truly ours.
I stood immediately and checked the bedsheets, relief flooding me when I saw no stain, no sign of trauma. My baby was safe. My hands trembled slightly, and I pressed one to my stomach, willing the tiny life inside me to stay calm and safe.
I had spent weeks fighting fear and nausea, bat
