Nadia spent years battling the loss of giving her baby up for adoption. Still, she and Aaron were ready to expand their family, and with that came adopting a child of their own. But after a tragic car accident and an expedited blood test, Nadia got some shocking results.
Nadia felt her entire body bow with strain. Sweat ran down her forehead while she held back the screams. She didn’t want her father to discover what was going on, or he would do something to the precious baby currently demanding to get out of her body.
Her fists clutched the pillow tightly, feeling like they were about to break. She began breathing in rapid inhales and exhales, thinking about the hidden box under her bed with things she had bought for the baby she wanted but couldn’t keep.
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While swiping photos on his phone, Nadia and her husband, Aaron, discussed the new house design they were considering. “So, we’re happy with the house? With the renovations?” he asked.
“I am,” Nadia replied, nodding eagerly.
As an architect, her husband had spent the last year designing their dream place, so he grinned, too, his eyes squinting with movement. He kissed her tenderly, and they stared at the pictures again.
Nadia’s smile waned as she remembered how her life had changed. After the “incident,” she took time off from school and later embarked on a soul-searching backpacking trip through Europe, funded by a writing competition win.
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This journey was an escape and a healing process, allowing Nadia to start healing from her past.
While Aaron packed their delicate crockery, Nadia watched him intently at the dining table. “So, you want to actually help me?” he joked.
“Pass,” Nadia laughed, “I’ll do anything and everything else – well, nothing that involves fragile things. You know how clumsy I am, Aar.”
But instead of finding something to do, she cleared her throat. “We have the jobs, the house, and each other,” she mused. “You know what’s missing now?”
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Aaron chuckled, one corner of his mouth lifting knowingly.
“So, we can start trying?” Nadia asked, her quick words giving away her excitement.
“Nadia, we can begin the...
