Ashwin jolted awake at the sound of Nithya's crying in the middle of the night. Her soft wails echoed through the house, piercing the calm of the dark room. Kavya stirred beside him, her tired eyes flickering open as the baby's cries grew louder.

"Stay asleep, Kavya. "I'll take care of it," Ashwin whispered, seeing that Kavya was about to rise and tend to Nithya. He knew she had been getting less sleep lately, and the last thing he wanted was for her to wake up more than necessary.