Chapter Sixty-Five: The Arrival of Lisa
The summer heat of August had settled heavily over the Hudson River, turning the morning air thick and hazy. Inside the master suite, the acoustic paneling that had once kept our secrets private now served a completely different purpose: providing a silent, undisturbed sanctuary for the arrival of our fourth child.
Alexander had refused to break our new tradition. The ground-floor medical suite was prepared once more, but as the contractions began to harden my stomach into tight, painful knots at dawn, I knew this little girl wasn't going to give us the luxury of a long, drawn-out wait.
"Alex," I gasped, my fingers locking around his wrist as a sharp, white-hot pressure ripped through my lower back. I was standing near the edge of the bed, the gre
