The contractions started suddenly at four AM, sharp and insistent like nothing Komal had ever experienced before, pulling her violently from sleep with a gasp that immediately woke Dhruv beside her whose hand instinctively reached for her in the darkness as she gripped her swollen belly. "Dhruv, I think it's time," she managed to say through gritted teeth as another contraction rolled through her, "The baby is coming."

Dhruv was out of bed instantly, his usually perfect composure completely shattered by panic as he fumbled for his phone with trembling hands, nearly dropping it twice before managing to turn on the bedside lamp.