I announced I was pregnant on the Fairmont rooftop. Silence—then Claudia, my mother-in-law, laughed, accused me of lying, and shoved me. I fell and woke in the hospital with Daniel at my side.

Dr. Hale delivered the shock: someone had given me a substance to end my pregnancy. Claudia. Then Daniel confessed he had a condition making conception nearly impossible—she must have thought I cheated.

“She tried to kill me,” I whispered.

The police arrested Claudia the next day. Headlines called it attempted murder at a family dinner. Healing was slow, but Daniel and I rebuilt trust piece by piece. Months later, Claudia went to prison.

On our balcony, Daniel held my hand. “We can’t change what happened,” he said, “but we can choose who we become.”

And for the first time, I believed him. Life didn’t return—it became stronger, honest, and ours.