AlinaI never imagined pain could feel this raw, this endless, this blinding. My entire body was on fire, and yet my heart beat with a strange kind of anticipation. The walls of the ward echoed with my ragged breathing, and the smell of antiseptic mixed with sweat made my head spin.My hands gripped the sheets so tightly my knuckles were white, and I wasn’t sure if I was holding onto them for strength or to stop myself from falling apart.“Alina, breathe,” the midwife urged, her voice calm, practiced. “In through your nose, out through your mouth. You’re almost there.”Almost there. I wanted to scream at her for saying that. I had been “almost there” for what felt like hours. A scream tore from my throat as another contraction wracked me, my body curling forward against the bed as though it was trying to expel the life within me on its own.“Damian,” I choked out, needing him more than air.He was there instantly, his hand clasping mine. His grip was firm, grounding me, though I knew
Last Updated : 2025-10-01 Read more