Chapter 3
THE CHOICE
"You want to do what?"
Daisy winced and moved the phone slightly away from her ear.
Her best friend had always been dramatic.
"Lower your voice."
"I will not lower my voice!" Sophia practically shrieked. "You're telling me you're planning to have a baby by yourself?"
Daisy smiled despite herself.
She had expected this reaction.
They had been friends for over fifteen years.
Sophia was one of the few people who genuinely cared about her.
Which was exactly why Daisy had called her.
"I said I'm considering it."
"That's even worse!"
Daisy laughed softly.
"Sophia."
"No."
"Sophia."
"No."
Daisy shook her head.
"I knew calling you was a mistake."
"It was."
They both laughed.
The tension eased slightly.
Sophia eventually sighed.
"Okay. Explain."
Daisy walked toward the large windows overlooking the city.
Morning sunlight flooded the penthouse.
Unlike yesterday, she felt strangely calm.
Like she had finally made a decision.
"I don't want to get married just to access my inheritance."
"Good."
"And I don't want to spend years waiting for some perfect man who may never come."
"Fair."
"And I've always wanted children."
Silence.
Then Sophia spoke again.
More softly this time.
"Do you really want this?"
Daisy's smile faded.
The question struck deeper than she expected.
Did she?
She looked around the quiet penthouse.
The empty dining table.
The unused guest rooms.
The silence that greeted her every evening.
For years she had told herself she was happy alone.
Independent.
Successful.
Strong.
Yet every time she visited friends with families, something inside her ached.
Every time she saw a mother holding her child's hand.
Every time she watched a father carrying his sleeping daughter.
A part of her wondered what it would feel like.
To be someone's home.
To be someone's safe place.
To be needed.
"Yes."
The answer came easier than she expected.
"More than I realized."
Sophia was quiet for several seconds.
Then she said something surprising.
"Then do it."
Daisy blinked.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"I thought you were against it."
"I am."
Daisy frowned.
"That makes no sense."
Sophia laughed.
"I think you're completely insane."
"There it is."
"But I also know when you've made up your mind."
Daisy smiled.
Her friend knew her too well.
"When are you going?"
"I have an appointment this afternoon."
"What?"
"I made it this morning."
Sophia groaned loudly.
"You're impossible."
"I've been told that."
"Frequently."
They both laughed again.
For the first time in months, Daisy felt hopeful.
Maybe this was crazy.
Maybe people would judge her.
Maybe her father would have a heart attack when he found out.
But for once she didn't care.
This wasn't about him.
This wasn't about Hart Corporation.
This was about her future.
And she was tired of waiting for permission to live her life.
By noon, Daisy found herself seated inside one of the most prestigious fertility clinics in the country.
The waiting area looked more like a luxury hotel than a medical facility.
Elegant furniture.
Fresh flowers.
Soft music.
Everything designed to put patients at ease.
It wasn't working.
Her nerves were running wild.
"Ms. Hart?"
She immediately stood.
A smiling nurse approached.
"This way, please."
Daisy followed her down a long hallway.
Minutes later she entered an office.
A woman in her fifties greeted her warmly.
"Good afternoon, Daisy."
"Good afternoon."
The doctor motioned for her to sit.
"Tell me what brings you here."
Daisy took a deep breath.
Then she explained everything.
Her mother's will.
The inheritance.
Her desire to become a mother.
Her decision to remain single.
The doctor listened carefully.
Without judgment.
Without interruption.
When Daisy finished, the woman smiled.
"I think your reasons are valid."
Relief flooded through her.
"Really?"
"Of course."
The doctor folded her hands.
"Many women choose motherhood independently these days."
Daisy felt some of her anxiety disappear.
"We'll run the necessary tests," the doctor continued.
"If everything looks good, we can proceed."
The appointment lasted nearly two hours.
By the end, Daisy left feeling lighter.
Hopeful.
Excited.
Terrified.
But mostly excited.
For the first time in years, she felt like she was moving toward something.
Instead of merely surviving.
Several floors below, in a secure section of the building inaccessible to patients, another meeting was taking place.
A laboratory technician frowned at a computer screen.
Something wasn't right.
She checked the records again.
Then again.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
"That's impossible."
The name on the donor file made her freeze.
Anthony Green.
The sample had been stored months ago.
Part of a private fertility preservation program.
Everything should have remained untouched.
Yet according to the system...
A transfer request had just been processed.
The technician stared at the monitor.
Confusion spread across her face.
She didn't remember authorizing anything.
Nor should anyone else have.
A cold feeling settled in her stomach.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Unfortunately, before she could investigate further, another employee entered the room.
"Is there a problem?"
The technician quickly minimized the file.
"No."
But even as she said the word, unease lingered.
Because deep down she knew.
Somewhere inside the clinic, a mistake had just occurred.
A mistake that would soon change multiple lives forever.
And nobody had noticed it yet.
