I’ve never felt lighter.

The world outside the hospital looks brighter, as though someone turned the saturation all the way up: bluer skies, greener leaves, the faint golden shimmer of afternoon light spilling across the parking lot. I clutch the small brown envelope against my chest like it’s a secret worth protecting, even though my heart is doing a terrible job keeping quiet.

There’s a little heartbeat on that paper. A flickering pulse that’s already changed everything.

I’m ...