Julia POV
I sat by the window, my heart pounding with every distant siren, every car that slowed outside. I was wrapped in a blanket, my body still aching from birth, but my mind refused to rest. The apartment was too quiet, every corner echoing with the memory of Nora’s first cries. I clung to hope, repeating my daughter’s name in a whisper, praying that Ethan would bring her home.
When I heard the key in the lock, I leapt to my feet, barely daring to breathe. The door swung open, and there was Ethan—with Nora in his arms, bundled in a hospital blanket, her tiny face red from crying but unmistakably alive and safe. For a heartbeat, I couldn’t move, couldn’t make a sound. My knees buckled with the force of relief.
Ethan’s eyes met mine, shining with tears, and he crossed the room in thr
