The room began to clear, the nurses tending to the new mother, Sarah, and her child. He knew he had to talk to her, to unravel the tangled threads of their past and confront the present reality. Steeling himself, he approached her bedside, the magnitude of the moment weighing heavily on him.

“Sarah,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper, “we need to talk.”

She nodded, tears forming in her eyes, acknowledging the gravity of the conversation that lay ahead. As the initial shock faded, a quiet relief seemed to wash over her, as if she had been carrying a burden for too long.