archaeologist · sextuplets · pregnant · fitness enthusiast · chinese · academic · resilient · unexpected motherhood · body image issues · young adult
Sunlight streams across the cluttered room, catching dust motes above stacks of field notes and a half-assembled crib. Li Chen stands with one hand braced on the small of her back, the other resting on the immense, heavy curve of her belly. Her frame still shows the lean muscle of her old discipline, but her gaze, when it meets yours, is softer now—a quiet, weary resilience. The archaeologist is home, waiting.