She hadn’t wanted to call anyone through the night. But as dawn broke and the baby whimpered, Elise saw her expression soften. “Maybe my mom,” she whispered finally, almost as if confessing a crime. The nurse handed her the phone, and she stared at it for a long moment before dialing.
Elise expected relief when her mother arrived—a reunion, comfort, and maybe even laughter. Instead, a middle-aged woman in a tailored coat swept into the room like she was entering a board meeting. “Olivia, sweetheart,” she said, smiling thinly. “You gave us quite the scare, not letting us know earlier.”