At the family dinner later that evening, I catch Mara watching Claire and Erik with an expression I can’t quite name.
Longing. Hope. Curiosity.
“Hey,” I murmur, stepping beside her.
She startles slightly. “Sorry, I was just…”
“Looking,” I finish gently. “It’s okay.” She nods, fingers twisting together.
“Do you think healing like that is possible? After something so awful?”
I glance at Claire, curled in Erik’s lap, head tucked against his chest, smiling softly as she watches Freya gurgle on a play mat.
Then back at Mara. “Yeah,” I say. “I think it is. And you’ll get there. You’ve been through something hardly anyone else has, and I’m here by your side.”
She breathes out. “Thank you, I’m trying.”
I grin. Slow. Deliberate. “You’re amazing, little bunny.” Her cheeks turn pink.
CLAIRE
Later that night, curled against Erik in our bed, I whisper, “Daddy?”
“Mmm?”
“I’m really ready.” His arms slide around me, strong and warm.
“Then we’ll start trying whenever you want, sweetheart,” he murmurs. “But tonight?” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Tonight, we just rest. You’ve earned peace.”
I fall asleep in his arms. Hope is blooming, soft and warm inside my body.
EPILOGUE
Epilogue
Claire
Four months later...
The sunlight in our loft is different now. Softer. Warmer. Like even the universe has decided I deserve gentler mornings.
I’m on the balcony, curled on a throw blanket, sketchbook in my lap, my hair in a loose braid Erik loves to tug on playfully. I can hear him in the kitchen, grumbling affectionately at the espresso machine that never does what he wants unless I push the buttons.
Somehow, the sounds of domestic life have become my favorite sounds in the whole world. I wasn’t sure I would ever feel normal again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to live in a body that had been turned into a machine.
But now… I glance down at the small test strip hidden inside the sketchbook.
Two faint pink lines. I’m pregnant. A tremor runs through me, not of fear, but awe. After everything my body endured, after everything they tried to turn me into… my body is giving me amiracle. On my terms. I am experiencing this miracle with the man I love.
My eyes sting as I press a hand to my belly. “You and me, little one,” I whisper. “Your father is going to love you so much.”
A warm hand slides onto my shoulder. I look up. Erik is standing there with two mugs, eyes soft and curious.
“Baby?” he asks gently. “You’re crying. Come here.”
He sits beside me, pulling me into his lap the way he always does when he senses I need grounding. “What happened, sweetheart?”
I swallow, heart pounding, and lift the test strip with shaking fingers. His breath catches. His arms tighten. His eyes go shiny, then tear over completely.
