(Evelyn's POV)
Evelyn didn't sleep.
Not really.
She closed her eyes. Turned. Faced the wall. Faced the ceiling. Counted seconds like they might slow things down.
They didn't.
Every time she drifted, she saw the same thing
Lily in that hospital room.
Small. Still. Too quiet.
And then the doctor's voice would cut through it again.
"The father."
Her eyes snapped open.
Her chest rose sharply as she sat up in bed, dragging in a breath like she had been underwater.
"No," she whispered.
But the word didn't feel strong anymore.
Not after yesterday.
Not after the file.
Not after the truth she couldn't outrun.
She pushed the blanket off and stood, running a hand through her hair.
Think.
She had to think.
There had to be another way.
There always was.
There had to be.
By morning, Evelyn was already at her laptop.
Coffee sat untouched beside her, long gone cold.
Her eyes burned from staring too long, but she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
Search after search.
Medical forums.
Specialist centers.
Rare case studies.
Anything.
Everything.
"Alternative donor compatibility…"
"No, that won't work…"
"Partial match success rate too low…"
Her fingers moved fast, clicking, scrolling, opening more tabs than she could keep track of.
There had to be something she missed.
Something the doctor didn't mention.
Something that didn't involve
She stopped.
Her jaw tightened.
"No," she said under her breath.
She refused to go there.
Not yet.
Not him.
Her phone buzzed beside her.
She ignored it.
Kept searching.
Minutes turned into an hour.
Then two.
Still nothing solid.
Every path
Every option
Came back to the same thing.
A parent.
Her chest tightened again.
Frustration built slowly at first.
Then all at once.
She slammed the laptop shut.
"Damn it!"
The sound echoed in the quiet room.
Her hands trembled slightly as she pushed back from the table.
This wasn't happening.
It couldn't be.
There had to be another way.
She wasn't going to
"Mama?"
Evelyn froze.
Her expression softened instantly as she turned.
Lily stood at the doorway, rubbing her eyes, hair messy from sleep.
"You're up early," Lily said, her voice small.
Evelyn forced a smile.
"Couldn't sleep," she replied gently. "Come here."
Lily walked over, climbing into her lap like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Evelyn wrapped her arms around her automatically.
Holding her a little tighter than usual.
"Did I do something wrong?" Lily asked quietly.
Evelyn's heart squeezed.
"No," she said quickly, brushing her fingers through Lily's hair. "No, baby. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why do you look like that?"
Evelyn paused.
Because kids noticed everything.
Even the things you tried to hide.
"I'm just thinking," she said softly.
"About work?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"…something like that."
Lily nodded like she understood.
Then leaned her head against Evelyn's chest.
"You'll fix it," she said simply.
Evelyn's throat tightened.
Because Lily believed that.
Without question.
Without doubt.
"You always do."
Evelyn closed her eyes for a second.
Then kissed the top of her head.
"I'm trying," she whispered.
By afternoon, Evelyn forced herself out of the house.
Sitting still wasn't helping.
Thinking wasn't helping.
She needed to move.
Do something.
Anything.
The hospital had recommended a specialist center across town.
Rare cases.
Advanced treatments.
It was a long shot.
But right now
Long shots were all she had.
The building was bigger than she expected.
Clean. Modern. Too quiet.
She checked in, gave Lily's details, answered questions she had already answered too many times.
Then waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Her fingers tapped lightly against her thigh as she sat in the waiting area, eyes scanning every person that walked past without really seeing them.
Until
Something shifted.
A feeling.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Her body went still.
Slowly
She turned her head.
And saw him.
Her breath caught.
It wasn't possible.
It couldn't be.
But
There he was.
Standing across the room.
Dressed in dark clothes, calm, composed… like he didn't belong anywhere but there.
Like he owned the space without trying.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Because even after all these years
She knew him.
Not just his face.
Not just the way he stood.
But the way her body reacted to him.
Instantly.
Without permission.
Without logic.
Daniel.
Her fingers curled slightly.
No.
She blinked.
Looked again.
But just as quickly as she saw him
He was gone.
Like he had never been there.
Her breath came out shaky.
"What…"
She stood abruptly, scanning the room.
Nothing.
No sign of him.
No trace.
Just strangers moving like nothing had happened.
Her heart pounded harder.
Was she imagining things?
No.
She knew what she saw.
She knew him.
Even if
Even if he had changed.
Her chest tightened again.
"Stop it," she muttered to herself.
This was getting to her.
The stress.
The lack of sleep.
The roses.
The note.
Everything was messing with her head.
That had to be it.
It had to be.
Because if it wasn't
Then what?
Her thoughts cut off as a nurse called her name.
"Ms. Carter?"
Evelyn turned quickly.
"Yes."
"Doctor will see you now."
She nodded, forcing herself to focus.
Not now.
She would deal with that later.
Right now
Lily came first.
The appointment didn't last long.
Too short.
Too familiar.
The same answers.
The same limitations.
The same ending.
"We can try alternative testing," the specialist said gently. "But based on what we've reviewed… your best chance remains a direct parental match."
Evelyn's jaw tightened.
"Best chance," she repeated.
"Yes."
Not only chance.
But close enough.
Her hands clenched slightly in her lap.
"Run the tests anyway," she said.
The doctor nodded. "We will."
But they both knew.
Hope was thinning.
Fast.
By the time Evelyn stepped out of the building, the sun was already setting.
Her head hurt.
Her chest felt heavy.
Everything felt like it was closing in again.
She reached for her phone, about to call Naomi
When it buzzed first.
A message.
From Bella.
Evelyn frowned slightly.
Bella: Hey, just checking in. How did the appointment go?
Evelyn hesitated.
Then typed back.
Evelyn: Not great. Still no clear solution.
The reply came almost instantly.
Bella: I'm so sorry. But don't worry, I might know someone who can help. A private specialist. Really good.
Evelyn paused.
A small flicker of hope lit up.
Evelyn: Really?
Bella: Yeah. I'll set something up for you.
Evelyn exhaled slowly.
"Okay…" she murmured.
Maybe
Just maybe
This could be something.
That night, Evelyn sat at the kitchen table again.
Phone in hand.
Staring at Bella's message.
A new appointment.
A new chance.
It felt too convenient.
But she didn't question it.
She couldn't afford to.
Not right now.
Her fingers hovered over her contacts.
Over a name she hadn't touched in years.
Daniel.
Her chest tightened.
No.
Not yet.
Not until she had tried everything else.
Not until she had no other choice.
She locked her phone instead, setting it down.
"I'll figure this out," she whispered.
But her voice didn't sound as sure anymore.
Outside
Across the street
A car engine idled quietly.
Daniel sat behind the wheel, eyes fixed on her house.
Watching.
Waiting.
Protecting.
His jaw tightened slightly as he saw her silhouette move behind the curtains.
"You're running out of options," he murmured.
Not to her.
To himself.
Because he knew
Soon
She would have to come to him.
And when she did
There would be no distance left between them.
Inside the house
Evelyn's phone buzzed again.
Another message from Bella.
She opened it.
Bella: Appointment confirmed for tomorrow morning.
Evelyn exhaled.
Relief.
Finally.
She typed back quickly.
Evelyn: Thank you.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally
A message came through.
Bella: Anything for you.
Evelyn smiled faintly.
She didn't see the second message Bella typed.
Then deleted.
Or the one after that.
Because across town
Bella sat in the dark, phone in hand, her expression unreadable.
"Let's see how far you get without him," she murmured softly.
Her lips curved slightly.
Not kind.
Not friendly.
Something colder.
Because the appointment Evelyn was counting on?
Was never meant to help her.
Back in her house
Evelyn turned off the lights and headed to bed.
Unaware.
Unprepared.
Still hoping.
And just like that
The trap was already set.