Every fragment of will.
And I pushed.
Harder than before.
Harder than I thought possible.
A final, desperate scream tore from my throat.
And then—
It happened.
The body followed.
Shoulders.
Arms.
The rest of him—
Sliding free in a sudden, unstoppable rush.
Warm. Wet.
Alive.
For one fragile moment—
There was silence.
Then—
My strength collapsed completely.
I fell forward onto the frozen floor, my arms instinctively cradling the tiny, fragile body against my chest.
“My baby...” I whispered, my voice breaking as I tried to look at him.
His skin—
Blue-white.
Too still. Too quiet.
No cry.
No movement.
“No... no, no, no...” My hands trembled as I tried to rub him, to warm him, to bring him back.
But my fingers—
They couldn’t feel anything.
Nothing.
Not even him.
