A concerned mother sets up a baby monitor in her son’s room after noticing he’s constantly tired and unsettled—only to witness something on the screen that leaves her frozen in fear…
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart. Momma’s here,” Alicia murmured as she rocked her son, Edduin, gently in her arms. He had woken up crying in the middle of the night and couldn’t be calmed.
Eventually, Alicia had to clear her laptop and paperwork from the couch and settle there with Edduin, softly singing lullabies. It took nearly ten minutes, but her singing finally lulled him back to sleep, and she let out a breath of relief.
She carefully laid him back in his crib, kissed his forehead, and tiptoed out, closing the door softly behind her before heading back to her work.
“How am I supposed to juggle all this alone? I wish you were here, John. I miss you so much,” she thought to herself as she made her way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.
Almost a year earlier…
After doctors told Alicia Silvers and her husband John that they likely couldn’t have children, they decided to live life to the fullest—traveling from performances at the Sydney Opera House to peaceful beaches in Honolulu, indulging in buffets in Las Vegas, and cruising through the stunning fjords of Bergen.
They were about to book a trip to the Bahamas when Alicia found out she was pregnant. Overjoyed, they returned to their hometown, Fayetteville, North Carolina, to share the news with friends and neighbors.
Both Alicia and John had grown up in foster care, having lost their parents young. Alicia stayed home while John worked as the managing director of a company that manufactured parts for home electronics. Their life was filled with love, laughter, and now, the hope of a child.
But that happiness shattered one terrible evening.
“Hello? Is this Alicia Silvers?”
“Yes, speaking. Who is this?”
“This is Officer Duncan, ma’am. I’m very sorry, but your husband was involved in a fatal car accident on Farm Road Highway. We found your number in his phone. We’ll need you to come and identify the body.”
Alicia felt the world spin beneath her. That morning, John had left for a business trip despite her pleading for him to stay. Something had felt off, and she’d told him so—but he’d smiled, reassured her it was nothing, and kissed her goodbye.
She was seven months pregnant at the time.
The moment she got the call, Alicia went into labor from the shock. Thankfully, she had the presence of mind to call her neighbor…