Chapter 15 - Hope Arrives Early

June moved faster than I'd ever seen her move. She grabbed the hospital bag, called the maternity unit, and helped me into the car. We drove carefully, obeying every red light despite my pleas.

At the hospital, the team confirmed my membranes had ruptured. At thirty-five weeks, our baby was early, but the doctors explained the plan, the monitoring, and what support she might need after birth.

I called Adrian myself.

“My water broke,” I said.

His voice turned raw. “I'm coming.”

“You can come to the hospital. That doesn't change anything else.”

“I understand.”

Hours blurred into contractions, breathing, ice chips, and June's steady hand in mine. I cursed at a monitor. I apologized to a nurse. The nurse laughed and said she'd heard much worse.

Adrian arrived but waited outside until I said he could enter. He stood by the door, careful not to pretend the old rules still applied.

“Can I hold your hand?” he asked.

“Only if you don't tell me to breathe. I'm already doing that.”

He gave a weak laugh, and when the next contraction came, I grabbed his fingers so hard he winced.

At 3:18 a.m., our daughter was born, small and furious, with a cry that filled the room like a siren. The nurse placed her against my chest for a moment before the neonatal team checked her breathing and temperature.

“Hi, Hope,” I whispered. “You took the long way to Christmas.”

Adrian cried without making a sound. When the team took Hope for additional observation, he looked at me.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Don't thank me. Be someone she can trust.”

He nodded. It was the first promise I wanted him to make without speaking.

Hope needed help feeding and keeping warm, but her doctors were cautiously optimistic. I spent the morning watching her tiny chest rise and fall.

Then Detective Chen appeared at the hospital with a grim expression. Nathan had been located near the interstate, traveling under another name. He'd been arrested.

“That should be good news,” I said.

“It is,” Chen answered. “But he told us your daughter isn't the only thing Raymond plans to take from you.”

May you like

Billionaire’s Wife Kicked a Waitress in Front of 300 Elites—One Slap Exp...

The billionaire’s wife tried to kick a waitress in the face in front of 300 wealthy guests. But seconds later, she whispered three...

My Mother Grabbed My Wife by the Hair Over Cold Soup—But What My Father...

My mother grabbed my wife by the hair over a bowl of cold soup. And the most shameful part? For one terrible second, I almost defe...

My Parents Kicked My 6-Year-Old Daughter and Me Out on Christmas—Then I...

My mother kicked my six-year-old daughter out of Christmas dinner, never realizing I was the only reason she still had a house to...

She placed a photocopied petition on the table.

Someone had filed an emergency motion claiming I was an unfit mother.