#Chapter 23: Midnight Snack

Hannah That night, after the awkward tension at dinner, I found myself unable to finish my plate. The rest of the family banquet went by without incident, Noah keeping his distance after I had seen him watching me from the hallway. I pretended to eat, falling back into my old habits: pushing my food around on the plate, cutting it up into small pieces, always keeping myself and those around me talking so no one would notice. But around midnight, the hunger pangs started kicking in. That, and the nausea. I was still extremely early in the pregnancy, maybe even too early for morning sickness. But, with so little food in my belly, it felt like a storm was roiling in my gut. I knew I needed to eat, if even only a few bites. Once Noah was out of the house and I was certain everyone was asleep, I quietly made my way down to the kitchen in my nightgown, my bare feet making no sounds on the marble floors. Cautiously, like a scared animal searching for scraps, I gathered a sma