"Mrs. Griffin, we’ve tried everything we could, but Lucian’s condition still hasn’t improved..."

Juniper Hower felt something snap in her mind at those words.

"Doc, I’m begging you, please... there has to be something else we can try," she pleaded, clutching the doctor’s coat desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Lucian was her only child. He was still so young, how could it be that there was no hope left? There had to be another way!

The doctor glanced at the grieving woman in front of him, and his heart softened.

"There is...one last option, but..."

Juniper’s chest tightened. "If there’s still a chance, we’ll do whatever it takes!"

Seeing her resolve despite the exhaustion etched into her face, the doctor finally spoke.

"There’s a treatment with a ninety percent success rate, but… it would require you and Mr. Griffin to have another child to use the baby’s umbilical cord blood for Lucian’s treatment."

Using cord blood in pediatric cases could lead to a 90% recovery rate. They had been avoiding this option, knowing the tension between Juniper and her husband made such cooperation unlikely.

Juniper froze. Have another child... with Herbert Griffin?

She stumbled out of the doctor’s office in a daze. Standing outside the hospital room, she looked through the observation window at the little boy lying in bed.

Juniper had chosen his name, Lucian, hoping it would bring him light and strength, symbolizing dawn breaking through the night and the stars shining brightly.

She wanted him to be full of life and optimism, always cheerful and resilient.

But now, that bright little boy was trapped in a sterile room, struggling even to breathe the fresh air outside, something that should’ve been so simple.

The thought made Juniper's heartache, and she couldn’t hold back a sob. Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground with her back against the cold wall.

The Griffin family’s butler opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was at a loss for words.

After what felt like an eternity, Juniper stood back up, wiped away her tears, and pushed open the door to the hospital room.

She looked down at the tiny figure in the bed, her voice as soft and gentle as ever. "Luc, what are you looking at so intently?"

Lucian was holding a picture book, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. "Mom, I’m reading about Humpty Dumpty falling down the wall."

Then he noticed her red, puffy eyes. "Mommy, have you been crying again?"

"I haven’t been crying," Juniper forced a smile, trying to keep up appearances.

"It looks awful. Mommy, if you don’t want to smile, don’t force yourself. That smile is ugly. It doesn’t look like my beautiful Mommy at all."

Despite his young age, Lucian was perceptive and sharp. "Mommy, I’ll be good and take my medicine, but please don’t cry behind my back anymore, okay?"

He stared at her with such sincerity. His eyes filled with concern for her.

Juniper felt a lump in her throat, and she pulled Lucian into her arms, tears brimming again. "Alright, I promise."

At that moment, Darcy Griffin entered the room with her daughter-in-law, Yvette Larson, having just received the news.

Darcy’s eyes softened as soon as she saw her precious great-grandson. "Luc!"

Lucian looked at the two women and beamed, his smile as bright as sunshine. "Hi, Great-Grandma! Hi, Grandma!"

"Hello there, sweetie. You're such a good boy," Darcy replied warmly, though her heart was heavy.

Lucian was such a sweet child. How had this happened?

Darcy hesitated for a moment, then tried to keep her tone light."“Luc, how would you feel about seeing your dad? He’s coming home soon to visit you."

Everyone froze at her words.

Lucian’s expression shifted at the mention of a father he barely knew, and he shook his head resolutely. "I don’t want to see him."

Despite his firm refusal, they all knew the child’s heart was longing.

The reason Lucian said no so decisively was because he was angry that Herbert had never once shown up, never been there for him since the day he was born. Lucian was painfully aware that his father had abandoned both him and his mother.

Darcy sighed. "Alright, if you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to."

No one tried to push the topic any further, and the conversation drifted off as if the mention of Herbert was nothing more than an afterthought.

Soon, the doctor arrived to run a few tests on Lucian, and everyone quietly stepped out of the room to give them space.

Darcy’s eyes narrowed as she watched the nurses bustling about. Turning to Yvette, she lowered her voice. "Call that ungrateful son of yours. Tell him he needs to get back here immediately."

Yvette stiffened, caught off guard. "Herbert’s been really busy lately…"

Darcy’s expression darkened with fury. "You care about your son, but don’t you care about your grandson even a little?"

"He’s busy?" she scoffed. "So busy that he ran off overseas right after the wedding, didn’t come home for years, and can’t even visit when his own son is seriously ill?" Yvette flinched at her mother-in-law’s rage, trembling as she pulled out her phone.

"Don’t get mad. I’ll call him right now!"

With that, she hurriedly dialed Herbert’s number.

Juniper stood on the side, heart pounding.

Four years of marriage, and she’d only seen Herbert during their wedding. Since then, she hadn’t even heard his voice...

The phone rang for a few seconds before the call connected.

"Hey, Mom," came a deep, gravelly voice from the other end.