Sari didn’t expect anything that morning.
It was another gray, heavy day, the kind that started with bad coffee and the slow ache of sleeplessness. The clinic had been quiet for weeks, the waiting room half-empty, the air thick with anxiety and bills. Every time the front door chimed, her heart stuttered with equal parts hope and dread.
So when Sylvia appeared at her office door, eyes wide and voice careful, Sari braced herself.
“You have an appointment,” Sylvia said softly.
Sari frowned. “I told the staff not to schedule anyone under my name.”
“I know,” Sylvia replied. “But this one’s… special. She insisted.”
Sari’s brow creased. “Who?”
“Sofia Reyes-Jacinto.”
Sari blinked. “As in—”
“Yes. That Jacinto,” Sylvia said. “She and her husband requested you specifically.”
Before Sari co
