n and overwhelming. New York's endless buzz felt like a cruel mirror of the turmoil inside her. Her

r broken engagement and family betrayals behind, and figure out what to do next. But instead of finding peac

ng in a hotel felt too transient, too uncertain. She needed s

-

borhoods, touring cramped apartments and overpriced studios. Nothing felt right.

building on the Upper West Side. The realtor, a kind

s she pushed open the door. "It's fully furnishe

but it was peaceful. The soft light streaming through the windows and the quiet hum o

" she said wit

-

opened boxes and half-unpacked suitcases. She curled up on th

her phone on the coffee table. She hesitated, he

hadn't spoken to her father since leaving

he swiped to a

knife. "Olivia! What is this nonsense I'm hearing? Pregnant? And yo

disappointment pressing heavily

"How could you be so reckless? So shameless? Do you know t

r her cheeks. Her father's words pierced her lik

ried to explain, her voice trembling.

'll come back to Chicago and clean up this mess you've made. I'm giving you two days, Olivia. T

her hands trembling. She felt like the ground beneath her had

ing to hold herself together, but the sobs wouldn't stop. For the first time in her life, sh

Olive sat frozen, clutching her phone, unsure of what to do. The

The phone buzzed in her hand, the number un

d hesitantly, her vo

id. "This is Dr. Harris from the Chicago Fertility Cli

dropped. "Why? W

r. Harris said. "There was a mistake, and it'

voice rising in panic. "What ki

tion we can have over the phone. Can you c

cing, her thoughts spiraling. Another problem. Anothe

she stammered. "

s a matter of great importance. We'll cover your travel expense

more shaken than before. She sank o

g to me?" she whisper

he weight of everything-her father's ultimatum, the mysterious cal

uch, clutching a throw pillow to her chest like a lifeline.

l smile, her father's angry eyes, and the stranger at the airport who had judged her so harshly. Amid it

eart pounding and her mind racing. She stare

n to flicker. She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but she would find a w