FAT, BARREN, AND REJECTED
Something flickered behind his eyes, though I couldn’t fully read it, and I pressed forward before he could interrupt, understanding I had limited time left before his patience for this confession fully expired.
“I found out I was pregnant three months later.” My hand drifted instinctively to my stomach, the familiar gesture grounding me through the rest of the confession. “Quadruplets, the doctor told me, which felt like some cruel joke at the time, given everything else my life had already put me through that year. I built a business, slowly, carefully, trying to prepare myself for raising four children alone, in a world that had already taught me not to expect help from anyone.”