Chapter 1
PART 1:
“She had to learn respect.”
Eleanor said it like she was proud.
The hospital room went silent.
Sophia lay on the bed with an IV taped to her hand, her hair stuck to her tear-soaked cheeks, her body still shaking from pain and exhaustion.
Beside the bed, Lucas stood in his Army uniform, holding their newborn son against his chest.
The baby’s tiny face was red from crying.
A doctor stood near the monitors.
Two nurses froze by the door.
And Eleanor, Lucas’s mother, stood in the middle of the room like she owned everyone in it.
She pointed straight at Sophia.
“That girl has been dramatic since the day she came into this family.”
Sophia tried to speak, but her lips trembled.
Lucas did not raise his voice.
That was what made the room feel colder.
He looked down at his son.
Then at Sophia’s bruised wrist.
Then at his mother.
“How long was he sick?”
Audrey, Lucas’s older sister, folded her arms and laughed under her breath.
“The baby is her problem.”
Sophia closed her eyes.
Not because the words surprised her.
May you like
Because Lucas finally heard them.
👉 But the question Lucas asked next dragged everyone back to the night Eleanor tried to bury.
