Some people looked at her with sympathy.
Others looked at her with judgment.
And sometimes the sympathy hurt almost as much as the judgment, because it reminded her that people no longer saw her as the girl she had always been.
At school, whispers followed her through the corridors.
She could feel students staring as she walked past them. Conversations stopped when she approached. Even people who had once been friendly struggled to find something normal to say.
Emma began avoiding certain places.
She stopped attending gatherings with classmates, rarely answered invitations, and gradually withdrew from the friendships that had once made her days feel bright.
There were mornings when she stood in front of her bedroom mirror and wondered whether she would ever feel like herself again.
Her reflection looked familiar.
But the life behind it had become unrecognizable.
When Sophie arrived, the challenges intensified.
Emma learned how to prepare bottles, change nappies, soothe an uncomfortable baby, and recognize the small changes in Sophie's cries.
