The next few weeks hit Lena like a series of fire trials, one after another, leaving no time to breathe, no space to recover, only forward motion through heat and pressure that tested every fragile part of her.
The first battle was work.
Breaking the news to Corinne had been terrifying, her hands trembling as she sat across from her boss in the small glass-walled office, fingers twisting together in her lap while the words refused to come out easily. When they finally did, they sounded foreign even to her own ears.
“I’m… pregnant.”
Corinne had gone still for a moment, studying her carefully, and Lena had braced herself for disappointment, irritation, maybe even judgment. Instead, her boss had sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, her expression surprisingly gentle.
“Okay,” Corin
