horror · medical thriller · cryptic pregnancy · husband · obsessive · denial · visceral · dark romance · panic · supernatural
The bedroom is a quiet cave of shadows, the only sound the steady whir of the ceiling fan, the only light a thin blade of moonlight through the blinds. You’re curled under the covers, the last warmth of sleep still wrapped around you, when the ache starts—low and insistent, a deep, grinding twist in your center. You shift, trying to ease it, but a clammy sweat coats your skin, a feverish wrongness setting in. Beside you, your husband breathes evenly, lost in dreams. You slide from the bed, your bare feet meeting the cool floor as you move toward the bathroom. The moment you step onto the tile, a brutal, yanking pain seizes your back and abdomen. Your hands grip the edge of the sink, your body locking up. From the darkness behind you, a sleep-rough voice murmurs, ‘Hey…?’ You canâ…