The Unexpected Grace

Chapter 1: The Weight of Secrets

The autumn rain drummed against my apartment windows with a persistence that matched the anxiety churning in my stomach. I sat curled on my threadbare couch, one hand resting on the barely-there swell of my belly, the other clutching a cup of chamomile tea that had long since gone cold. At twenty-eight, I thought I knew who I was—a responsible marketing coordinator, a loyal friend, a woman who made careful decisions and lived by clear moral principles. Continues…