Then everything slipped away.
The pain vanished. The noise disappeared. It felt like drifting—like I was slowly being pulled somewhere far beyond the room, beyond everything. And yet, somehow, I fought my way back. Maybe it was his voice holding me in place. Maybe it was the stubborn need to meet the life I had carried for so long.
When I finally opened my eyes hours later, Ryan was the first thing I saw.
He looked different. Worn down. Older somehow. His eyes were red, his face pale, like he hadn’t just witnessed a birth—but something much more terrifying.
“She’s here,” he whispered. “She’s perfect.”
And then they placed her in my arms.
Lily.
