Though Elizabeth desperately wanted a second opinion regarding her daughter's fragile condition, deep down, as a trained medical professional, she knew it was a mathematical impossibility to alter the stark diagnosis. The echocardiogram results were unambiguous.
Guiding Venus down the softly lit hallway, Elizabeth led her best friend into her quiet home study, gently closing the heavy wooden door behind them. She had left Anton in the living room cradling five-month-old Jillyanna, knowing her husband would give their daughter the gentlest care while the two women spoke doctor-to-doctor.
The study was cool and quiet, lined with towering bookshelves and framed botanical prints. Venus bypassed the formal desk chair and sat directly on the plush velvet sofa, her sharp, analytical gaze melting into one of deep empathy as Elizabeth sat beside her.
