Maya's POV
The pregnancy test held my attention like a hypnotic spell, its digital display flashing the word "pregnant" with relentless certainty.
"Maya?" Penny's voice reached me from what felt like another dimension. "You need to breathe."
Only then did I notice my lungs had seized up completely. Air rushed back into them in jagged gasps that sounded more like strangled cries.
"I... I can't..." The words struggled past my constricted throat.
"Come here." Penny's steady hands gripped my shoulders, steering me from the bathroom toward the bed. "Maya, focus on breathing. Nice and slow."
My pulse hammered against my eardrums, creating a deafening rhythm that blocked out the rest of the world. The room felt like it was shrinking, the oxygen growing thinner by the second. I clutched at my chest, fighting to control my ragged breathing, but each attempt only made it worse.
"I can't get enough air," I wheezed.
