INICIAR SESIÓNSerena’s POV I woke up this morning to the soft sound of rain tapping against the window. Not the angry kind that pounds and screams, but the gentle kind that whispers, that promises to wash the world clean. The kind of rain that makes you want to stay in bed just a little longer, curled up under the blanket with the one you love. I turned my head on the pillow. Roman was still asleep beside me, his arm stretched out across my side of the bed like he was reaching for me even in his dreams. His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. The gray morning light fell across his face, catching the faint lines around his eyes, Lines that came from worry, from from been there through every struggle, from pacing the hospital floor when Astrid had a fever in the middle of the night. I reached out and touched his cheek with the back of my fingers. Soft. Warm. He stirred a little, mumbling something I couldn't understand, and then his hand found mine. He pulled it to his lips and kisse
Serena’s POV The morning light crept through the curtains, soft and golden. I sat on the edge of the bed, my back against the headboard, staring down at the tiny bundle in my arms. Astrid. My daughter. She was sleeping, her little pink lips parted just a bit, her chest rising and falling with each gentle breath. I still couldn’t believe it. After all those months of waiting, of feeling her kick inside me, of imagining what she would look like, here she was. Real. Warm. Perfect. Her skin was so soft, like the petal of a flower. Her tiny fingers curled into a fist against my chest. I touched her cheek with the back of my finger, and she stirred for a second, then settled back into sleep. Roman walked into the bedroom, a mug of tea in his hand. He set it on the nightstand, then sat down next to me. Without saying a word, he leaned over and kissed the top of Astrid’s head, then my forehead. His hand came to rest on my shoulder, warm and heavy. “She’s still sleeping,” he whispered, as
Roman’s POV The sound of her cry was still ringing in my ears. I had heard babies cry before. In movies, in stores, in the waiting room of this very hospital. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared me for the sound of my own daughter's voice filling the room. It was sharp and loud and furious, like she was already telling the world she was here and she wasn't going to take any nonsense. And I was a mess. I didn't even realize I was crying until the first tear dripped off my chin and landed on the back of my hand. I blinked, confused, and felt the wetness on my cheeks, the salt on my lips. I lifted my hand to touch my face, and my fingers came away damp. I was crying. Hard. Tears streaming down, so fast I couldn't stop them. I didn't care. Serena was lying back on the bed, her face pale and soaked with sweat, her chest rising and falling in deep, exhausted breaths. But her arms were wrapped around a tiny bundle, a little body covered in blood and white goo, with a scrunched-up
Serena’s POV The first thing I felt was the pressure. A deep, heavy ache low in my belly, like something was twisting and pulling from the inside. It woke me from a dream I couldn't remember, pulling me up through layers of sleep until my eyes blinked open into the dark. The room was quiet. The only light came from the streetlamp outside, casting a soft orange glow through the curtains. I was on my side, facing the window, and Roman's arm was draped across my waist, his breath slow and steady against the back of my neck. He was still asleep. His hand rested gently on the swell of my belly, like even in sleep he wanted to be close to her. I stayed still for a moment, waiting. The ache was fading now, melting away like it had never been there. Just a cramp, I told myself. Probably just Braxton Hicks. The doctor had warned me about false labor. I'd been having them for weeks now, tightening in my belly that came and went, uncomfortable but not serious. I shifted, trying to find a mo
Roman’s POV The afternoon sunlight poured in softly, catching the tiny bits of dust floating lazily in the air. I stood near the back of the crowd, a beer bottle sweating in my grip, watching Serena work the room like the queen she was. Her dress hugged the swell of her belly, and every time she laughed, bright and unguarded my chest ached with how much I loved her. People moved around her everywhere. Emma, her best friend, was busy organizing the chaos with a clipboard in one hand and a whistle she had somehow found hanging around her neck. My mom stood nearby with the caterers, refusing to let them handle everything alone and insisting on arranging the fruit platter herself. And I was stuck in neutral, my mind racing a mile a minute. Any second now, the gender reveal was scheduled for three o'clock. It was two fifty-eight. I'd been counting down the minutes since breakfast. "You're pacing," Jake said, appearing at my elbow like a ghost. "You never pace." "I'm not pacing. I'm… s
Serena’s POV I can't remember the last time I saw my own feet.That thought drifts through my mind as I stand in the doorway of what used to be our spare room, one hand braced against the frame, the other resting on the impossibly hard curve of my belly. The baby, our baby girl is pressing up against my ribs again, a familiar ache that I've grown almost fond of. Almost. I shift my weight and feel a dull twinge in my lower back, the kind that's become my constant companion these past few weeks. The nursery is coming together. Roman is on his knees in the center of the room, a screwdriver in one hand and a piece of instructions crumpled in the other. He's muttering to himself, the way he always does when he's trying to assemble something, and there's a smudge of dust on his cheek that I want to wipe away. The crib is mostly done, a beautiful white wooden frame with delicate carvings along the headboard, the mattress already in place and covered with a soft floral sheet. The changing
Serena’s POV The sharp knock on my bedroom door pulled me out of a deep sleep. My eyes slowly opened, and I blinked at the sunlight slipping through the curtains. It felt like I had only just gone to bed a few minutes ago . My body felt heavy and tired, like it didn’t want to move at all. Then I
Serena’s POV It was past four in the afternoon, and Roman still hadn’t come out of his room. We had gone to the gym together this morning, had breakfast, and then he’d gone upstairs to get ready for work, or at least, that’s what I thought he would do. But the hours passed, and I still hadn’t see
Serena’s pov I never thought I’d find comfort in the rhythm of someone else’s life, but with Roman, it felt easy. Our days fit together now. The awkward silences were gone, and so was that careful distance we used to keep. When he came home from work, he’d come straight to my room if I wasn’t in
Roman’s POV I didn’t realize how much I needed that night until we stepped into the stadium. The sound hit me first, loud and alive. A rush of voices, music, chants, and whistles. It wrapped around me instantly, loosening something in my chest that I hadn’t realized was tight. The lights were bri







