Expectations:
She had expected the backaches, the bloating and discomfort, even the mild nausea that persisted for weeks on end. She had anticipated the frustration of waistbands not fitting, of coats refusing to button, of her breast spilling over what used to fit like a second skin.
She had known what her decision would cost her, to bear his child in secret, to live in relative seclusion, to protect and shelter Henry, Robin, and Roland from a vendetta she had believed long-buried and forgotten. She understood loneliness, was well-acquainted with misery and regret, knew how to press through despondency for the good of at least one who could not survive without her.
But the unfettered joy that bubbled across every nerve and atom at her daughter's first kick, ,making her believe anything was possible, giving her both a reason and the courage to allow herself to hope once more—that was unexpected.