74. Parallel

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~ SIERRA ~

- - - - - TWO WEEKS LATER - - - - -

Sierra sat by the window, holding onto the ultrasound photo she received this morning. She was three months along in her pregnancy and the doctor was finally able to tell her the gender. Sierra smiled as her finger brushed over the writing:

A Boy.

Sierra pressed the photograph to her chest and felt her heart fluttering. After weeks of torture she endured under Raphael, seeing the doctor this morning and hearing about her baby’s progress gave her hope.

To the outside world, it seemed like Sierra was living a great life. She’d go to campus on the weekday and visit her dad and Rosie on the weekend. She always looked put together and she had on a brave smile in front of everyone. But what nobody knew was what would happen to her in the nighttime.

Raphael was a hardworking man. He went to work every day, including weekends. He only came home around eight or nine, and th