Zara sat frozen, the words on the page blurring before her eyes. A low ringing filled her ears, drowning out everything else.
She could still picture Nora's glowing smile when she had announced her pregnancy. Back then, Zara had thought it was pure joy — she had never imagined that smile was a mask for so much pain.
A heavy ache pressed against her ribs. If Nora had chosen the treatment, she might still be alive. But she hadn't. She had chosen the baby instead, chosen to carry her secret alone.
Zara's throat burned. "How could you be so foolish, Nora? You could have had more children with Nathaniel… why throw everything away?"
She turned the page, with a new question in her heart — had Nathaniel known any of this?
Desperation urged her to keep reading.
'I couldn't bring myself to tell Nathaniel. I knew if he found out, he would never let me take such a risk—he'd insist I end the pregnancy. But I just couldn't.
