The days rolled into weeks, and with each passing morning, Jude felt the clock ticking louder in his head. Every time he woke up beside Sabina and caught sight of her growing belly, his heart swelled with love—and tightened with fear. A baby was coming, and with it, a thousand unspoken questions: Would he be enough? Could he provide? Could he be the father Sabina and their child deserved?
He didn’t voice these fears aloud, not fully. He woke earlier than Sabina most mornings, slipping out of bed quietly so as not to disturb her rest. The shop where he worked had grown busier as the holiday season approached, and though the increased workload meant longer hours, it also meant extra pay. Jude took every shift he could.
But exhaustion had begun to etch itself into his face. His hands, once
