Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT MY DAUGHTER ARRIVED
My daughter was born during a storm.
Of course she was.
The wind shook the windows.
Rain hammered the roof.
And at 3:42 a.m., my water broke.
Sophie drove me to the hospital.
I gripped the dashboard through contractions.
"Please tell me we're almost there."
"Ten minutes."
"You said that ten minutes ago."
She laughed nervously.
"Then we're making excellent progress."
At the hospital, the nurses moved quickly.
My labor progressed faster than expected.
I was frightened.
Exhausted.
And suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of leaving Dante.
For a moment, I wanted him there.
Not the man he'd become.
The man I'd married.
The man who once held my hand during thunderstorms and promised our children would never know fear.
I closed my eyes.
Then another contraction came.
And I remembered why I'd left.
Sophie held my hand.
"Look at me."
I did.
"You're doing beautifully."
I began crying.
"I can't."
"Yes, you can."
She squeezed my fingers.
"You're not alone."
At 7:16 a.m., my daughter was born.
She weighed six pounds, eleven ounces.
She had dark hair.
A tiny nose.
And the loudest cry I'd ever heard.
The nurse placed her against my chest.
I stared at her.
My beautiful girl.
My whole world.
"Hello, sweetheart."
She opened her eyes.
Gray.
Just like Dante's.
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
"Your name is Isabella Grace."
Sophie stood beside me crying too.
"She's perfect."
I nodded.
"She is."
Hours later, Miriam called.
"How are you?"
I smiled.
"She's here."
Miriam gasped.
"Oh, Elena."
I laughed through tears.
"She's beautiful."
A pause.
Then Miriam asked carefully:
"Do you want Dante informed?"
I looked down at Isabella.
I had thought about this for weeks.
I didn't want to erase her father.
But I also didn't want him arriving with armed men and demands.
"Yes," I said.
"Through you. And only after you make sure he understands the boundaries."
Miriam nodded.
"I will."
That evening, Dante received a photograph.
A newborn girl wrapped in a white blanket.
Beneath it, one sentence.
Your daughter was born safely today. Her name is Isabella Grace.
Dante stared at the image for a long time.
May you like
Then sat down.
And cried.
