Women Giving Birth (FRESH • BUNDLE)

“It’s time,” she said.

One push. Two. The burning, the stretching, the impossible moment where she thought she would split in two. women giving birth

But the work, Elara learned, was not just physical. It was a stripping away. With each contraction, she shed the layers of who she’d been—the lawyer who could argue any case, the daughter who never wanted to be a burden, the woman who prided herself on control. The pain was a raw, honest thing that didn’t care about her résumé. It demanded she go somewhere deeper. “It’s time,” she said

She had not just given birth to a child. She had given birth to a mother. And as the baby’s mouth found its way to her breast, Elara closed her eyes and smiled. The tide had finally brought her home. The burning, the stretching, the impossible moment where

She didn’t wake Leo. Not yet. Instead, she placed a hand on her stomach and breathed. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The baby, her daughter, shifted in response, a small foot pressing against her ribs. Soon, Elara thought. You’ll have all the room in the world.