The painted white walls, the bright lights on the ceilings, and the generic signage by the doors brought back flashes of memories she had long buried in the deep recesses of her mind.

For years, especially after the accident, she had avoided coming to this place since it brought back too many bad memories. It was as if she were reliving a nightmare.

But after long, gruelling therapy sessions, she had finally learned to face her fear. Instead of avoiding the things that brought her pain, she started to face them head-on.

"One step at a time..." Her counselor would encourage her, knowing the first step was the key to her healing.

At first, her body trembled uncontrollably as soon as she set foot inside the lobby of a hospital. The image of her dead parents and her child, taking their last breath, had become a constant nightmare that she could not escape.

But as she started accepting her loss, she began to rewrite the narrative of her story. The nightmare became less and less frightening. Each day had become more bearable.

"You’ve come a long way..." Her counselor congratulated her during her last therapy session, citing that she was ready to become a new person.

It had been a difficult and challenging struggle, but she had survived. Then, she met her friend, Dr. Bennett.

As Ashley introduced her to the nursery and children’s wing, she felt she had been reborn with a new purpose. The hospital became less about death and more about a source of life.

But now, as she stood outside the operating room, pacing on the clean, white tiled floor, she could not help but feel the same helplessness and anxiousness just like before.

Her sight focused on the closed double doors at the end of the corridor. Her fingers twiddled on her lap as she sat silently on a corner. Breathing shallow, her lips trembled slightly as she whispered a short prayer, continuously and repeatedly.

"Sophia, any news?" Finally, a voice spoke, breaking the panic that had gripped her heart and rendered her immobile in her spot.

Before her stood her husband, with his eyes darkened with worry, while his body sagged as if he had been carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders.

But in truth, in his hands, he only had two cups of coffee.

"Nothing yet." She despondently said, looking up at her husband and wishing she had better news to tell him. With a sigh, she took one coffee and sipped it, needing the kick of the caffeine to energize her body and keep her from spiraling downward.

It had been two hours since the doctors wheeled Caleb inside the operating room. But so far, she had sat in the waiting area and paced the hallway, but she still hadn’t heard anything from the doctors.

Except for "The operation is still ongoing, or the procedure was taking longer than anticipated," the nurses had not said much.

But she knew she had nothing to worry about. Caleb was undergoing a scheduled operation to repair his heart. The doctors assured her that the best doctors were handling the case.

Although the operation still carried a small risk, the possibility that Caleb would live a normal life still outweighed the threat of complications and even death.

But the thought was still unsettling.

Another hour, with the coffee long gone, a doctor had finally emerged from the other side of the room.

"How is he?" Her husband was the first to react and ask as soon as the doctor stood before them.

"Oliver..." The doctor greeted her husband with familiarity. "We encountered a few minor complications, but we managed to fix everything."

The doctor continued explaining the procedures that had taken place, citing some medical terms she didn’t understand, but she eventually breathed easily when she heard the magic words.

"The operation was a success. If all went well with his recovery, Caleb would probably live for a very long time."

With that said, the doctor excused himself and left the two of them to celebrate.

"Thank God." She gasped in a long breath as relief washed over her.

Although Caleb was not her son, she had learned to love him. Even if they didn’t share the same blood, she already felt like he was truly her son, as if he had come from her own womb.

At the same time, Caleb had somewhat become her salvation. Even if she had failed to save her son, at least Caleb had survived this major operation.

"Let’s go and tell everyone," Oliver said, after they had shared a long, comforting hug. Just like her, she saw the tension ease out of her husband’s body. The dark cloud in his eyes had lifted up, giving her a clear view of how he truly felt.

Soon, everyone was ready to throw the most lavish party for the success of Caleb’s operation.

"Easy, Mom." Oliver held his mother’s hand. "Caleb still has to go through physical rehabilitation and a long recovery."

"Maybe we can just hold a simple get-together for the family once Oliver is discharged from the hospital." She suggested instead. Thankfully, everybody agreed.

Nonetheless, she wondered if the word simple in her vocabulary had the same meaning as theirs.

Since she had joined this family, she had learned that small didn’t necessarily mean that it would fit in your hand.

When her husband ordered a new car for her to replace her old one, she said she only wanted a simple, ordinary car, but what she got was nothing she had expected.

She didn’t want to accept the elegant, limited-edition sports car, but Oliver would not have it. Now, she was stuck driving it.

"Can we see him?" Oliver asked once the doctor had come to talk to them again.

The doctors had informed them that Caleb had been transferred to a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) for recovery.

Soon, she and her husband walked into the room, wearing all the precautionary suits to ensure the safety of the patients.

The constant thumping of machines, footsteps of people passing by, and occasional chatters filled the silence. But nothing beat the loud thumping of her heart inside her chest as she looked at the young child, sleeping soundly on the bed.

Several tubes and wires were still attached to his body since the machines were still helping him with his recovery. But looking at his fragile state, she could not help but imagine what her own child had looked like when he was struggling to survive.

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes as she thought of her son, going through those painful hours without anyone to comfort him.

The strong, pungent smell of antiseptic and medicine swirled around the room and wafted through her nose, which hadn’t helped in suppressing her feelings.

As if a dam broke, she started sobbing as flashes of her son all alone as he took his last breath, without her, holding him close to her heart.

It was heartbreaking.

"Hey, the doctors said that Caleb will be just fine." Comforting hands patted her on the back as he wrapped her around his arms. "Hey, don’t cry."

Oliver probably thought she was crying because of Caleb’s current condition. Although she was saddened by his current state, she was actually glad that it was over.

But her tears were not for Caleb, but for her child that she didn’t get the chance to hold in her arms.

The rest of the family left the hospital to go home, knowing that it would be a while before they could see their patient.

Meanwhile, she and Oliver had been escorted to a VIP room where they could wait until Caleb could be transferred.

Naturally, she was again left stunned at the opulent comfort the room offered. The entire place screamed luxury and privilege. It looked more like a penthouse suite than a hospital room.

Anyway, as she sat by the window, waiting for the hours to tick by. She started thinking of her child again. She had already filed a request for DNA testing of her dead child.

Hopefully, soon, she would have the result. She would finally put to rest the question of whether her child had really died that day, or somebody had gone to great lengths to do something with her child.

"Sophia, are you okay?" Her husband’s soft, concerned voice penetrated her thoughts, forcing her to gradually turn her head to him. "You have been awfully silent since we got here." He stated, sitting opposite her, while his eyes never left her.

Another thought abruptly crossed her mind as she looked at her husband. What would he do if she admitted that she was Amelia?

Would he still want to stay married to her?

What if she discovered that her child was still alive? Would he help her find their child, or would he take him away from her?

"Yeah! I guess I’m a little exhausted." She responded instead. Then, she noticed his expression, concerned etched on his face, but there was something else, too.

Questions?

Admittedly, the past few days had been amazing. Since she had accepted their relationship, he had been very attentive to her and her needs.

Truthfully, she thought this must be what a real husband and wife should be doing.

If only they didn’t have a past, she might even think that she had married the perfect man and into the perfect family.

Except for today’s surgery, her life had been amazing and blissful. It was as if she were living her fantasy. At the end of the rainbow, she would finally find her happily ever after.

But—

"Hypothetically, if you discovered that I’ve been lying to you, what would you do?"

Without honesty, there would be no trust.

Without trust, they had no future.