MACEY
The days after visiting my parents felt like one long exhale that never quite finished. Everything around me was quieter, slower, but not in a peaceful way—more like the calm that comes right before another storm.
I told myself I was fine, that I was handling everything, but the truth was, I was tired. Tired in my bones, tired in my head. A month in, and the pregnancy already felt like a secret I had to carry in both hands, careful not to let it slip or crack.
Sleep hasn’t been my friend lately. Between the morning nausea and the endless loop of worries—money, work, the baby, my future—I felt like I was living on autopilot.
Still, I refused to let it show. So when Samantha texted me this morning asking if I wanted to grab lunch, I jumped at the chance. A distraction sounded
