"Honestly, he looked like he was about to cry out there."
"Right? Before we closed the doors, he told the doctor that if anything went wrong, save the mother first. No hesitation." She laughed softly.
If it hadn't been for tonight's discovery, I would have believed it too. I would have sworn Derek Shaw was the man who loved me most in this world.
But now, hearing their praise, I couldn't even summon the energy to smile along.
Love or no love—it didn't matter anymore.
The pain of labor and the pain inside my chest twisted together, knotting into something unbearable. I clenched my jaw and let the sweat pour.
When I'd dilated to three centimeters, a long, sharp needle slid into my spine, and the agony slowly dulled to numbness.
I forced myself to focus on the delivery. Just the delivery. But my thoughts kept drifting, slipping out of my grasp like water through fingers.
The grief spread, quiet and relentless.
Then—a sharp, piercing cry.
My baby was born.
"Six pounds, three ounces—a healthy little boy! Congratulations, Mama."
The midwife placed him beside me. I traced every feature of that tiny, scrunched face with my eyes, and something inside me crumbled into softness.