The sky outside the hospital window was turning from violet to gold, the first promise of morning painting the world soft again. The night had been cruel, brutal, the kind of night that left scars you couldn’t see. But now, as the light pushed against the darkness, it felt like more than dawn. It felt like a rebirth.I shifted slightly in the hospital bed, my body still sore, still trembling from the storm it had endured. But none of that mattered. Not when she was here. Not when she was breathing, crying softly in the crook of my arm.Hope.Our Hope.Her tiny chest rose and fell against me, her warmth anchoring me to the present. I bent my head and inhaled her newborn scent, sweet, delicate, alive. The tears came again, but they were different this time. Not fear. Not grief. Pure, unfiltered joy.Xavier sat beside me, his arm draped protectively along the back of the bed, his other hand resting lightly over Hope’s small form. He hadn’t slept. His face showed it, red-rimmed eyes, tens
Last Updated : 2025-09-30 Read more