Chapter Seven: The Unexpected Arrival

Chapter Seven: The Unexpected Arrival

Seventh Month. The weight of my growing belly pressed against my diaphragm, making it difficult to breathe, a constant, suffocating pressure that stole the air from my lungs.

I couldn’t breathe.

That was what jolted me awake, a sudden, suffocating panic that gripped my chest, a desperate struggle for air. I turned my head toward the clock hanging on the wall—it was only three in the morning, the darkness of the room a stark contrast to the urgency within me. But the air felt thick, heavy, and I still couldn’t breathe, my lungs burning with the desperate need for oxygen. I tried shaking Frederick awake. He was fast asleep beside me—we had only gone to bed less than three hours ago, and now I was already up, gasping for air, my body betraying me. "Frederick."