There are days when she wishes he 'd never been born at all.

Those are the worst days. The most miserable. The ones where she knows, deep in her soul, that she doesn 't deserve to exist. What mother would ever think such a thing?

From the day of his birth, they call him a blessed child. But in her arms, he 'd only ever felt like a curse. The weight of all her sins, culminating in one flawless, unblemished being. He 'd been born so small and sickly, whisked out of her laboring arms from his first breath. Later, after his health had steadied out, the nurse will reveal how shocked they 'd been that he 'd ever managed to pull through at all. A lucky little thing, they called him, adoration clear in their voices.