Part 1

**THE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR** appeared deserted. Some corridors only had dim lights as the patients were already lost in their own slumber. Meanwhile, in other corridors, the lights were still shining brightly, and a few people were gathered, feeling anxious and afraid.

Ignazio, a thirty-one-year-old man, paced back and forth outside the operating room where his wife was undergoing childbirth. Occasionally, he wiped his face and roughly ran his fingers through his hair out of frustration.

The doctor had forbidden him from entering and accompanying his wife during the operation at her request, which made Ignazio incredibly emotional. He wanted to curse. He wanted to damn someone. But he knew that all of that would be utterly useless. Even his parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who tried to console him were ignored.

Ignazio didn't care whether the baby would come out safely or not. No! He didn't care about that. What he cared about was whether his wife would survive or not. He didn't want to lose the woman he loved. He wasn't ready.

The operation room's light went out, and the door opened instantly. A nurse, still in her surgical uniform, emerged from the double doors holding a small bundle that displayed a very beautiful face with closed eyes.

"It's a baby girl, her weight..."

"What about my wife?" Ignazio cut in quickly.

As he had stated, he didn't care about the baby. Even though the baby was the proof of his love with his wife, the baby would also be the reason Ignazio would lose the woman he loved.

"Your wife is still under the doctor's care, sir," the nurse said patiently. She attempted once again to hand the baby to Ignazio, but he tried to ignore her.

"Look at her, Zio. She's your daughter, and Gretta," urged his father, squeezing his eldest son's broad shoulders.

Ignazio looked at the still form of the baby with tear-filled eyes. Reluctantly, he reached out, accepting the baby from the nurse in uniform who was now smiling at him.

The baby was incredibly light. Her head wasn't even bigger than the palm of his hand. Her skin was a dark pinkish hue. Ignazio wasn't sure about the color of her eyes. Would they be like his or her mother's? She barely had eyebrows. Her nose was tiny, not even the size of Ignazio's thumb, and her lips? The baby's lips seemed slightly bluish. She was beautiful, incredibly beautiful.

"Zio?" This time, the call came from his mother. She, too, was squeezing Ignazio's shoulder quite firmly. Ignazio turned, realizing he had unconsciously shed tears.

With a heavy heart, Ignazio handed the baby back to the nurse who approached him.

"Does she have a name?" the nurse asked Ignazio, but once again, he chose to look away. The nurse smiled again, as if Ignazio's actions were something she had seen often during her service.

Yes, the nurse understood why Ignazio behaved this way, and she respected it. The man's heart was wounded; he was heartbroken because of his wife's condition.

"I will take her back in for early breastfeeding initiation. After that, I will bring your baby to the nursery," the nurse stated. Typically, Ignazio's parents responded with nods. After the nurse left, the door separating the waiting area and the operation room closed once more.

Ignazio slumped into a long metal chair in the waiting area. His hands returned to clutching his hair. His child was out, but what now? How was his wife? Could they start the process of her recovery now? That's what Ignazio worried about, his wife's safety.

Ignazio and Gretta's marriage had been fine at first. Like any other married couple, they lived their lives full of love and happiness. However, problems began to arise in the fourth month of their marriage.

Gretta, who had initially been cheerful, healthy, and always seemed fine, started displaying unusual symptoms. She looked easily tired, often had a pale complexion, and would vomit after meals. When Ignazio asked if she was alright, the woman, younger than him, said it was just a stomach ailment.

But as days passed and her condition remained the same, Ignazio insisted she see a doctor—especially when he noticed Gretta growing thinner by the day. Gretta, however, refused and claimed she was just late for her period, implying she might be pregnant.

Ignazio was undoubtedly happy with the news. Right away, he went to the pharmacy and bought several different brands of pregnancy tests to confirm Gretta's suspicion, and indeed, they all showed two bright lines, indicating Gretta was indeed pregnant.

Excitedly, Ignazio asked Gretta to see an obstetrician. However, once again, Gretta refused because, according to her internet search, her early pregnancy wouldn't show any signs yet. So, she asked Ignazio to be patient and wait for a few more weeks.

The promised weeks arrived, and deliberately, Ignazio registered Gretta at his family-owned hospital for a comprehensive examination. The news of him registering Gretta for an obstetrician appointment quickly reached both of their parents. Together, the four of them witnessed Gretta's first prenatal examination.

But their happiness vanished instantly when the doctor suggested a thorough examination because they felt something abnormal in Gretta's body. The doctor suspected, knowing that besides the fetus, something else was growing inside Gretta. Gretta was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Ignazio refused to believe it. He requested a complete reexamination. Blood tests and a more detailed abdominal ultrasound were performed, but when it was time for an MRI, Gretta refused, stating that the baby in her womb was still very vulnerable to the side effects of an MRI.

Ignazio didn't give up easily. Aware of the danger that cancer posed to his wife, he pleaded with Gretta to terminate the pregnancy. But his wife cried and even threatened to leave him if he forced her to abort the fetus inside her.

"But this is for your safety too. What's the point of the child being born if its presence endangers its mother's life?"

"Ignazio, we have God. Surrender everything to God," Gretta said at that time. "It's not that we're not trying and just resigning ourselves to fate, but here, there's a fetus entrusted to us by God. There's another life we have to protect," Gretta reasoned gently.