s moved with a practiced grace, guiding threads, catching errors, her focus a small, quiet bubble in the noisy factory. Here

a testament to the hours she sp

ived in for three years. Mark Johnson, her husband, was in the living room, adjusting his tie in the reflection of the

is voice smooth. He smiled,

rah replied, setting her ba

dinner, the familia

h a business journal. There was a distance between them, a silence that wasn't peaceful but full of unspoken

a carefully constructed

quiet. Mark answered it, his

Mom,"

ound her fork. She knew wha

s right here... No, nothing new to report." He glanced at Sarah, a flicke

anor Johnson' s voice to know

need an heir. The pressure was a constant weight on her chest. Eleanor made no secre

hung up the phone and looked at Sarah, his frustration no

She' s demanding," Sarah sa

e a doctor again? Maybe there' s something else we can do." He made it

n table. The air in the doctor' s office was sterile and smelled of

ars to be in order with you. We' ve tested Mark as well, and his results are normal. Someti

rsonal failure. Sarah felt a familiar wave of hopelessness wash over her. It wasn't just Eleanor's disappointment she had to bear,

o?" she asked,

ike IVF, but they are expensive and there

he clinic into the bl

elt like a fraud, living in a beautiful house with a handsome husband, playing a

istracted. Sarah was doing his laundry, a routine act of d

. It was a receipt. A jewelry store. A delicate gold necklace with a tiny diamond chip. It

e black ink a stark confirmation of a fear she hadn't dared t

um of the dryer filling the space, and fel

her hand. When he finally came downstairs for a glass o

of panic crossed his features, but it was quickly replaced by a co

So smooth. He didn't even hav

eplaced by a profound, chilling sadness. She looked at the man she ha

rom his. She didn't make a sound, but tears streamed down her face, soaking the pillowcase in the