Marta is twenty years old, nearly broke, and running out of places she can call home.
When two lines appear on a pregnancy test, she knows her life has changed forever. The baby's father does not want to stay. Instead of offering support, he gives her a choice she cannot accept-then leaves for England, abandoning her to face the fear and responsibility alone.
After an earlier pregnancy loss, every appointment becomes a test of survival. Bleeding, a dangerously weak heartbeat, and weeks spent in hospital leave Marta measuring her future from one fragile beat to the next.
She names her unborn son Noah because he is her victory.
But when Noah is finally born, Marta's fight is far from over. Motherhood brings a love greater than anything she has known-and a fear just as powerful. Between sleepless nights, financial pressure, complicated relationships, and the constant worry that she will not be enough, she must learn how to care for her son without losing herself.
When the possibility of a new life in London appears, Marta faces another impossible decision. Leaving means stepping into an unfamiliar country with no certainty that things will improve. Staying means accepting a life that has already taught her how easily people can disappear.
Marta does not feel brave. She does not believe she is strong. She simply keeps getting up, caring for her child, and taking the next step.
Because survival is not always dramatic.
Sometimes it is a mother holding her baby through another sleepless night.
Sometimes it is earning the first money that belongs entirely to her.
Sometimes it is choosing to build a future while the storm is still coming.
Still Here is an intimate and emotionally honest novel about pregnancy, loss, single motherhood, migration, complicated love, and the quiet courage required to begin again.
The first book in The Marta Saga, it is a story for readers who believe that strength can be gentle, hope can survive disappointment, and staying does not always mean standing still.