Ellie’s POV
The last six months had been the most draining season of my life. I loved carrying Ethan’s child—our child—but it was not as easy as I had once dreamed when I was a little girl. I used to picture glowing mothers with soft smiles, always calm, always graceful. The truth was far different. My body no longer felt like my own. Some days I woke up so tired it felt like I hadn’t slept at all. My back ached constantly, my feet swelled until my slippers barely fit, and I found myself crying at the smallest things. Sometimes I laughed at how ridiculous I was, but other times the tears just kept falling, and poor Ethan didn’t know what to do except hold me and stroke my hair.
The sickness came and went like a storm. One day I could eat fine, the next I couldn’t keep even water down. Bu
