side, their faces etched with a mixture of anxiety and sheer joy as the moment of birth drew near.
When the first cry of the newborn girl pierced the air, the room seemed to exhale in relief. The doctor placed the tiny, wailing infant into Melissa’s arms, and she wept openly, her tears soaking the baby’s swaddling cloth. It was a picture-perfect moment of completion, the culmination of years of longing and nine months of shared sacrifice.
Ryan stepped forward, his eyes shining with pride, to take his daughter from
