Chapter 4 – A Son Is Born, and Truth Comes With Him
Three weeks later, Emma went into labor.
Complications forced an emergency C-section.
Those forty-five minutes outside the operating room were the longest of my life.
Then—
A baby's cry.
Strong.
Loud.
Beautiful.
A nurse stepped outside smiling.
"Congratulations."
"You have a healthy little boy."
Tears blurred my vision.
Our son.
Daniel Carter.
When I finally held him, he wrapped his tiny fingers around mine.
At that moment...
Every sacrifice finally made sense.
Life slowly became peaceful.
I rented a small apartment close to the hospital.
It wasn't luxurious.
But it was ours.
Emma smiled again.
She laughed again.
She slept without crying herself to sleep.
For the first time...
We were a family.
Then one afternoon my phone rang.
Unknown number.
It was my youngest sister.
Her voice trembled.
"Mom's in the hospital."
I said nothing.
"She had a stroke."
Another long silence.
Then she whispered...
"We lost the apartment."
No one had paid the rent.
Credit cards were maxed out.
May you like
Utilities had been disconnected.
Reality had finally arrived.
