ログインHope opened her eyes for the first time on day seventeen, and Liam missed it because he was in the hospital cafeteria forcing down coffee that tasted like exhaustion while Sophia sat vigil alone.
She called him immediately, her voice breaking with joy and terror in equal measure, and Liam ran—actually ran through hospit
Chapter 100: The PromiseThe ocean was silver in the pre-dawn light, waves rolling in with the patient rhythm of something eternal. Sophia stood at the window of the cottage, wrapped in one of Liam's sweaters, watching the horizon begin to brighten. Behind her, she could hear the soft breathing of her family—Hope in the middle of the bed, Liam curved around her protectively even in sleep.They'd driven up late last night, Hope falling asleep in her car seat halfway through the journey, Liam navigating the coastal roads with easy confidence. The cottage was small, borrowed from a friend of Marianne's, perched on a bluff with stairs leading down to a private beach. They had it for the whole weekend, three days of nothing but each other and t
The gallery was quiet in the late afternoon light, dust motes dancing through the tall windows that faced the street. Sophia stepped back from the wall where she'd just hung a new piece—an abstract in blues and grays that reminded her of the ocean she'd grown up near but had forgotten to miss until recently."That one's going to sell," Marianne said from behind the desk, not looking up from the invoice she was reviewing. At seventy-two, Sophia's part-time assistant had more opinions than energy, but both were valuable. "Someone will walk in, see it, and just know."Sophia smiled. "You said that about the last three pieces.""And I was
Chapter 98: The Enzyme CompletionThe final enzyme dose sat in Dr. Chen's hands like a verdict—the last injection that would either permanently neutralize Richard's genetic manipulation or fail in ways they'd spent six months dreading, and Sophia felt her entire body tense with the weight of this moment being both ordinary medical procedure and symbolic liberation."This is it," Dr. Chen said gently, preparing the injection site on Hope's tiny thigh while both parents held their breath. "Sixth and final dose. After this, we monitor for another month to confirm the genetic kill switch is fully deactivated, but based on Hope's response to previous treatments—I'm confident this will work. Your daughter is about to be free of Richard Wes
The 3 AM feeding on day fourteen of being home was when Sophia finally understood what Dr. Martinez had been trying to tell her about surrenderin
The discharge papers felt heavier than they should have—simple medical documents authorizing Hope's release from NICU after eighty-nine days of intensive care, but to Sophia they represented the transfer of total responsibility from medical professionals who knew what they were doing to two traumatized parents who were still learning how diaper tabs worked."You're ready for this," Dr. Chen said for the third time that morning, clearly reading the panic in both parents' faces as they prepared to leave the hospital that had been Hope's entire world. "Hope is medically stable. You've completed all the training. You have emergency contacts and backup plans. And—" she smiled with genuine warmth "—you're the same parents who survived everything else. You'll survive this too."
Sophia's mother walked through the apartment door carrying enough food to feed a small army, took one look at her daughter's exhausted face and h







