The morning was quiet and gray.Emma woke before the sun, her heart pounding in her chest. She lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, her hand resting on her stomach. The small plastic stick was hidden in the bathroom cabinet, wrapped in a tissue, waiting to be revealed. She had bought it three days ago, but she had been too scared to use it. Too scared of disappointment. Too scared of hope.But this morning, she had woken up feeling different. Her body felt different. Her mind felt different. Something had shifted.She had taken the test at 5:00 AM, unable to sleep, unable to wait any longer. Her hands had been shaking so badly that she had nearly dropped the stick. The two pink lines had appeared almost immediately, bright and unmistakable. She had stared at them for a long time, her mind racing, her heart pounding. She was pregnant. Again.The thought filled her with a strange mix of emotions — joy and fear, hope and grief. She thought about their first daughter, the one t
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