The sun had barely risen over the grey horizon when Cynthia threw up for the third time. She collapsed by the toilet seat, shaking, pale, and breathless. Her long hair clung to her clammy skin as tears burned her eyes. She knew what this meant. She had suspected it for days, but now it was undeniable. The nausea, the exhaustion, the missed period. It all pointed to one impossible truth.

She was pregnant.

Her trembling hands gripped the edge of the bathroom sink as she forced herself up. The mirror offered her a reflection she barely recognized—swollen eyes, cracked lips, fear carved into every inch of her face. Her fingers...