The house was quiet in the early hours of the morning, the sky outside still wrapped in darkness. Martina lay in bed, half-awake, shifting slightly beneath the sheets. A dull ache had been growing in her lower back for the past hour, but she’d ignored it at first, thinking it was just another one of the discomforts that came with the final weeks of pregnancy.
But then, the pain sharpened.
She inhaled deeply, rubbing her belly as she exhaled slowly. The sensation wasn’t foreign—she had spent months preparing for this moment—but there was something undeniable about it now. This wasn’t just another ache.
This was it.
She pressed a hand against Elias’s arm, shaking him gently. “Elias.”
He stirred slightly but didn’t wake immediately.
Martina sighed, leaning closer. “Elias.”
His eyes bli
