Olivia felt the difference immediately, when she gave birth to Ivan, recovery had been slow and punishing in the way childbirth often was. Her body had felt hollowed out, muscles aching as if they had been torn and stitched back together wrong.
Simple movements, turning on her side, sitting upright, and lifting her arms had been small battles. The midwives had warned her then about bleeding that lasted for weeks, soreness that lingered, and exhaustion that clung to her bones no matter how long she slept.
Thirty days of bed rest had followed, and even after that, she had still felt fragile, as though her body were apologizing to her for surviving. That was the normal way of things.
