chapter 1

Tuesday morning arrived quietly—but her body did not. Something was wrong.

It began as a strange heat beneath her skin, a fever that rose and fell without warning. Fatigue clung to her like a shadow, and her bones felt weak, as though they no longer belonged to her. This was unfamiliar territory—pain she had never known before, not even in the early years of her marriage. She tried to ignore it. She had learned, over time, how to endure.

But endurance has its limits.

By Wednesday morning, she surrendered to the truth she had been avoiding and headed to the hospital.

The waiting room felt endless. The ticking wall clock mocked her patience as minutes stretched into hours. After her blood sample was taken, she waited nearly three hours for the results. Her thoughts wandered dangerously—illness, stress, exhaustion, disappointment. She clasped her hands together and whispered a silent prayer.

Then the door opened.

Doctor Jonathan walked in, holding a sheet of paper and wearing a smile that did not belong to bad news.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Jerald.”

The word struck her like thunder. Congratulations?

Her heart skipped. Her brows furrowed. “Congratulations… for what, Doctor?” she asked, her voice barely steady.

“You are three weeks pregnant.”

Silence fell. The room froze around her as the words sank in. The fever vanished. The weakness dissolved. Her exhaustion disappeared as if it had never existed. Her palms grew damp, her breathing shallow, her phone slipping slightly in her trembling hands. Despite the cool air humming through the room, she felt dizzy.

Pregnant?

Doctor Jonathan’s smile deepened. He knew what this meant. He had been her family doctor for years—long before she married Jerald. He had watched her hope rise and fall. He had suggested everything—treatments, IVF, surrogacy. He had held her hand through tears and quiet disappointments.

And now—this.

Her head spun wildly. Am I dreaming? She pinched her hand gently.

“No, madam,” Doctor Jonathan said softly, as though reading her thoughts. “You are not dreaming.”

Her breath hitched. Today—of all days—was her wedding anniversary.

Ten years of waiting. Ten years of whispers. Ten years of emptiness. And now, life.

“I’m going to be a mother,” she whispered, tears spilling freely. “Jerald is going to be a father.”

She stood up abruptly, barely aware of her surroundings. She rushed out of the office in disbelief, leaving her test results behind. Her feet moved faster than her thoughts.

Joy had taken over.

As she stepped into the sunlight, it felt as though the world had shifted—like destiny itself had finally chosen her.

“Excuse me, ma’am!”

The voice came from behind her—urgent, breathless.

One of the nurses was running down the corridor, a folded sheet of paper clutched tightly in her hand.

“Excuse me, ma’am!” she called again.

Vivian turned abruptly, her movements slow and mechanical, as if her body were moving without her mind. She barely looked at the nurse approaching her. Her eyes were distant, unfocused. She was still in shock, drowning in her thoughts.

“Hello, ma…”

The nurse stopped in front of her, catching her breath.

“Are you Mrs. Jerald?”

“Yes… I am,” Vivian replied, her voice low and reluctant, as though the words were being forced out of her.

She studied the nurse’s face, searching for something—anything.

“Hope all is well?” she added quietly.

The nurse hesitated for a split second, then forced a polite smile.

“Yes, ma. Dr. Jonathan asked me to give you this.”

She extended the paper.

Vivian’s eyes dropped to it.

“Oh… my test result?”

“Yes, ma.”

She hastily reached out  for it.

“Thank you,” she whispered, though her voice carried a tremor she couldn’t hide.

Her heart was still caught up in the impossibility that had just been confirmed possible.