little tighter, her tiny body warm against my chest. The government' s new "Family Unity Act" hung over us all, a constant, low-grade

eeling less like a peaceful break and more like a cou

face. "Hi, I' m here to register my daughter

nal tone, typed my name into her terminal. Her fingers paus

the Hughes family has

there must be a mistake. We jus

ty I was already learning to dread. "No mista

question came o

t was assigned to a male child, Ryan Todd. R

Matthew' s childhood friend, the one whose husband died in a constructio

e. "Ma' am, you have until the child' s first birthday. If she' s not registered b

sense. State custody. No contact. For my Lil

dn' t remember the drive home. My mind was a blank, a repeating loop of t

fussy Lily in his arms. He was the perfect picture of a doti

hat took so long?" he

rried, the man I loved. The man

ice shaking. "I went to t

His smil

has been used." I took a breat

et before turning to face me. His expr

So

you mean, 'so' ? That was for our d

posed to do? Sabrina' s husband died covering a shift for me! It was my fault. Am

!" I was screaming now, the raw, primal fe

eded me! She

What about Lily? We h

uld even process it. The slap was sharp, a crack in the quiet room that echoed the c

u' re being hysterical. You don' t unders

. In that moment, I saw it all with a horrifying clarity. My marriage was a