Chapter 1: The Emergency
The room exploded into motion.
Within seconds, two more nurses rushed through the door. A pediatric specialist was called. Monitors beeped faster, louder.
The baby's heart rate was dropping.
"What happened?" I gasped.
Ethan's eyes never left the screen.
"The cord may be compressed."
Fear ripped through me harder than any contraction.
"Is my baby okay?"
"We're going to do everything we can," he said.
Not the baby.
Our baby.
For the first time, neither of us corrected the thought.
Another contraction slammed into me.
The monitor dipped again.
A nurse adjusted my position.
Nothing.
The heart rate continued falling.
Ethan made the decision instantly.
"We're moving to an emergency C-section."
The words struck me like ice water.
"No."
My voice shook.
"No, please."
"Chloe."
His tone was firm but gentle.
"The baby is in distress."
I searched his face.
For years, I had wondered whether I could ever trust him again.
Now my child's life depended on the answer.
Ethan stepped closer.
"I know I don't deserve your trust."
His voice cracked.
"But right now, I need you to trust me as a doctor."
The next heartbeat on the monitor dropped even lower.
May you like
I nodded.
And they rushed me toward the operating room.
