The events of the day had left her drained, but something in Andrei’s eyes as he stood by the doorway pulled her attention. His usual stoic expression was tinged with an emotion she couldn’t quite read—anticipation, perhaps mixed with relief.
"What do you mean? Am I really pregnant?"
“Cristine,” he began, his voice low but firm. He took a step closer, and she noticed the slight tremble in his hand as he ran it through his hair. “When you fainted earlier, I had you checked. The doctor ran some tests.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers gripped the edge of the bed tighter. The silence that followed seemed to stretch for an eternity, every second punctuated by the thudding of her heartbeat.
“Andrei?” she whispered, afraid to say more, afraid of what he might reveal.
A small, almos
