In that quiet absence, she understood the truth.
He had walked out.
Out of the hospital.
Out of their lives.
In a single moment, while still healing from childbirth, she became a single mother of five.
The reality pressed against her chest harder than the babies’ small bodies had. She felt fear creep in, sharp and cold. How would she feed them? Where would she find enough time, enough strength, enough money? Five cribs. Five car seats. Five futures.
The world suddenly felt very large and very unforgiving.
For a few hours, despair whispered to her. It told her she was alone. It told her this was impossible. It told her she would fail.
She listened.
And then she chose not to believe it.
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