The morning sunlight streamed gently through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the small but warm bedroom Jude and Sabina now called their home. Jude lay awake, even before the alarm rang, staring at the ceiling. His arm was wrapped protectively around Sabina, who was still asleep beside him, her breathing soft and steady. His palm rested lightly over her abdomen, not yet showing the fullness of pregnancy, but holding within it the tiny life that would change their lives forever.
He felt the weight of that thought every morning now. A weight that was not crushing but steady, grounding, reminding him that his life was no longer just about himself or even just about Sabina—it was about someone else who would soon depend on him for everything.
Jude had always thought of himself as
