She stayed like that for several minutes, letting months of grief and fear spill out of her.
Eventually, she forced herself up, staggering toward the mirror again.
She washed her face, splashing water repeatedly, as if trying to drown the exhaustion etched into her features. When she finished, she grabbed a clean cloth.
Slowly…
Carefully…
She wrapped it around her lower torso, tightening it until the gentle curve of her belly flattened.
She tied it securely and then tugged her shirt back down.
To the world outside that bathroom door, she looked the same as always.
But she wasn't.
She was hiding something.
Something monumental.
Something terrifying.
Something precious.
Something that should have filled her with joy…
…but now only filled her with dread.
She placed one hand on the hidden bump beneath her clothes as tears filled her eyes again.
"You're all I have left of him…"
Her voice cracked.
"Please… please don't take this from me too."
