It began with pressure.
Not pain.
Not fear.
A pressure deep inside her abdomen, as if something beneath her skin tightened in response to a distant sound she could not hear. Aria sat up in bed, her hand pressing gently against her belly. The baby kicked, but not in the soft, rhythmic way she had grown used to. This was sharper. Urgent. Almost like a warning.
The room was dim, lit only by the faint morning light filtering through the sheer curtains. Luca had been up for an hour already, pacing the estate with Nico and adjusting patrol schedules. She knew the moment she woke that he was not beside her. The bed cooled too quickly when he left.
Another pulse of pressure spread across her lower belly. Aria inhaled sharply.
"Easy," she whispered to herself. "Take it slow."
