**Mira's POV — Two Weeks Into Treatment**
The medication made everything feel muffled. Less sharp. Less painful.
Dr. Hartley called it "taking the edge off the depression." Mira called it "existing in gray instead of black."
But it was better than the black.
She attended daily therapy sessions. Talked about the hysterectomy. The trauma. The resentment. The guilt. Dr. Hartley listened without judgment. Provided strategies. Reframed thoughts.
"You're not a bad mother. You're a traumatized mother with a medical condition that affects bonding. Those are different things."
Mira wanted to believe that.
The support group helped more than she'd expected. Seven other women. All struggling with postpartum issues. Two with bonding disorders like hers.
"I look at my son and f
