The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the condo. It was the kind of quiet morning Michael rarely experienced. In the nursery, the twins slept soundly, their tiny chests rising and falling in unison. Marnie sat in the rocking chair beside the crib, her hands gently stroking their soft hair, her mind a whirlpool of thoughts.
Michael, on the other hand, stood by the window, staring out at the city below. The weight of the ultimatum from the hospital still pressed heavily on his shoulders. Every instinct he had, every value he’d built his life around, screamed that he should stay—he was a surgeon, a healer, a man who couldn’t turn away when people needed him. Yet, at the same time, his heart screamed that he couldn’t abandon his family, couldn’t risk
