Chapter 98

Cassandra’s agonized cries echoed through the narrow hospital corridors, and Thomas Campbell felt every inch of himself shrink. He stood by her bedside—at her side in body, but utterly powerless—watching her curl in on herself, each contraction wrenching fresh tears from her. In her arms rested Zoe, Cassandra’s best friend, and behind her, Thomas’s own mother offered what comfort she could. But they were all no match for the fire racking Cassandra’s body. He ached to do something—anything—to dull her pain, but his role was limited to breathing in sympathy and exhaling helplessness.

The obstetrician, Doc Colinrina, had already laid out the protocol—preliminary checks here, IV lines there, updates charted in triplicate—and Thomas dashed away to fulfill each instruction. He left Cassandra in the tender care of Zoe and his mother, promising to return in moments. Yet when he pushed open the door again, his wife turned from him w