One month. Thirty days carrying both sunshine and a cyclone within her. Thirty nights waking in a sweat, her hand already on her stomach, seeking to soothe the tiny being growing inside her a being that already reminded her every second of the impossible truth. A month of living in weightlessness, cut off from the world, her secret forming a leaden bubble around her. Only Paul penetrated this bubble. He had become her pillar, her accomplice. He brought her vitamins, books on pregnancy, and most importantly, his simple, reassuring presence. He asked no questions, demanded nothing. He was just there. Sometimes, in the evening, she would look at him and wonder if accepting his proposal wouldn't be the wisest, cleanest solution. A normal life, a substitute father, a comfortable lie to hide a s
