Keeping the pregnancy a secret was harder than Sasha expected.
Every morning, she woke before dawn to be sick in private. She knelt on the cold bathroom floor, her body heaving, her eyes watering, and then she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pretended everything was normal.
Every meal, she pushed food around her plate, hoping no one would notice she wasn't eating. She took small bites, drank water, made excuses. "I'm not hungry. I ate earlier. I'm saving room for dessert."
Every conversation, she deflected questions about why she looked tired, pale, different. "I didn't sleep well. It's been busy. I'm fine, really."
But Maya noticed everything.
Maya had been watching Sasha for days. The way she held her stomach when she thought no one was looking. The way she smiled at nothing
