The sickened luna’s last chance

Ella

Over the following weeks, we fell into a tentative yet strangely comfortable routine. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it felt like a real marriage, not by a long shot, but between the baby and the election, Alexander and I almost felt like…

Partners.

Mostly, Alexander just threw himself into election preparations, while I found myself caught between the excitement of preparing for our baby and the misery of morning sickness that seemed determined to last all day long.

Morning sickness. What a joke. Try afternoon sickness, evening sickness, middle- of–the–night–wake–up–and–sprint–to–the–bathroom sickness.

But Alexander was always there when I was ill. And every night, even when I didn’t see him all day because of the election, he came home for dinner. At every event, we were by each other’s sides, quietly supporting each other.

Again, it wasn’t a real marriage by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, it felt more like a strange sort of limbo. But in an unexpected way, it was also sort of comfortable. And I found myself smiling a lot more during those days, although that could have been chalked up to the excitement of preparing for the baby.

The baby preparations, in particular, were going smoothly. The cherry wood crib and matching furniture had arrived right on schedule, and we’d spent an entire afternoon setting up the nursery.

proper safety protocols

across his forehead as he concentrated, had done

looked so… domestic. Like a real husband preparing for his first

not to think about what our life would be like if that were the case, but it wasn’t easy. Especially not when his face lit up every time I

was sick.

Chapter 172

+15 BONUS

approval ratings had skyrocketed after our public announcement about the pregnancy. Apparently, voters loved the idea of a stable family man as

Surprise, surprise.

circulating on social media, along with candid shots from various events where Alexander’s hand could be seen resting protectively on my lower back. No one knew it was all an act. Sometimes, I forgot it was,

months along, Alexander had taken the lead in the polls for the

actually win this thing,” he’d said one evening, collapsing into bed beside me while I sat up on my side, reading a book. I could feel a wave of sickness coming, so I knew it was pointless to try to

at him. “You

a little. When this whole thing started, it felt like such a long shot.” He shrugged. “But the family man angle