MELISSA’S POV

The car rolled to a stop a few meters away from the hospital, and my stomach twisted into knots so tight I could barely breathe. I had rehearsed the moment in my head a hundred times on the way here—how I’d walk in quietly, maybe slip past unnoticed, keep my emotions hidden like I always did. But the second I saw the flood of media cameras swarming the hospital gates, my heart sank.

The flashes of light were blinding even from inside the car, and the aggressive voices ...