The room erupted. Our parents cried. I cried. Marcus looked happier than I’d ever seen him.
But Nadia had lived since birth with a congenital heart condition. Doctors had repaired a small hole in her heart when she was a baby, and for years it had remained stable.
Then the pregnancy became increasingly difficult. At thirty-four weeks, Nadia was rushed to the hospital.
Her blood pressure had climbed dangerously high. Her heart was under serious strain.
Marcus refused to leave her until the surgical team forced him into the hallway.
I had known him for twenty-three years. I had never seen him look so frightened.
Then he grabbed both my hands. “Elise, before they took her back, Nadia made me promise to tell you something.”
I stared at him. “What?” “Only if she didn’t wake up.” My entire bo:dy went cold.
Then Marcus said the sentence that changed everything. “Now it’s time for you to understand why I really married her.”
My stomach dropped. Suddenly every possibility raced through my head. Had he wanted something from our family?
