Late at night, at a maternity hospital in Yonderhaven.

The inky black sky seemed torn open, unleashing cascading sheets of rain that pelted down relentlessly, washing the world into a stark, kaleidoscopic clarity. The storm’s fury was a symphony of thunder and deluge, a visceral backdrop to the drama unfolding inside.

On the second floor, in the delivery room, Francesca lay on the birthing bed. She labored under the steady urgings of the nurses, breathing deeply, ...