Three months after the twins were born, Emma was exhausted in a way that sleep couldn't fix.
Alexander and Sophia were beautiful but demanding. They cried at different times. They fed at different schedules. Emma's body felt like it didn't belong to her anymore.
One night, after the babies finally fell asleep, Damien found her standing in the kitchen at three in the morning, staring at nothing.
"Come to bed," he said.
"I can't," Emma replied. "One of them will wake up."
"Then come sit with me for five minutes," Damien said.
He led her to the bedroom and pulled her onto the bed, still fully clothed. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.
"I know this is hard," he said.
"I love them," Emma said. "But I don't recognize myself anymore."
Damien wa
