Chapter 107: First Encounter

Astrid’s POV

Nova never left my side. She stayed beside me, keeping me company in this little boring room where silence enveloped us as I secretly grieved on my own.

I curled on my bed, facing the opposite direction as emptiness filled my heart. My eyes remained open, unblinking as I thought of the unborn child that I lost.

I pressed a hand to my still-flat abdomen where my child used to be. The comforting swell that had given her so much joy was already gone. There’s just nothing in there but the unyielding flatness of my own skin.

With a shuddering breath, I closed my eyes, shutting out the world. In the darkness, I allowed my tears to finally fall, mourning not just the child I had lost but also the mother I would never be.

I felt hollow and useless, the emptiness inside me echoing, swallowing me whole in a depressive state.

I know my tears couldn’t bring my baby back. It would never erase how I failed as a mother and the crushing guilt that I couldn’t keep my child safe.