Episode 5

Luiza

As soon as I got home, I barely had time to put the key in the door. Nona came running down the hall, her apron covered in flour and a smile from ear to ear. She wrapped me in a tight hug, the kind only she knew how to give.

"So, my girl? How are you feeling?" she asked, panting, as if she had run a marathon of emotion.

"Wonderfully well, nona," I smiled, feeling my heart warm.

"Soon, soon we'll have a bambino or a bambina running around this house, shouting, making a mess, knocking over pots... Ah, what joy!"

She kissed my forehead tenderly, and then continued:

"Come, bambina! Let's eat, because soon you'll be eating for two. You have to eat well from now on!"

I went with her to the kitchen, where a plate of lasagna fresh from the oven awaited me. The smell of homemade sauce, the melted cheese, the warm bread... It all seemed to be part of the silent celebration that was beginning inside me.

Days went by, and then three weeks were completed since the insemination. My return to the clinic would be at four weeks, for confirmation through a blood test and the first ultrasound. But, deep down, I already knew.

It wasn't something physical, it was something that came from the soul. I felt it. In my womb, still flat, still silent, I felt love forming.

That night, I went to bed early, but I couldn't sleep. The pillow wasn't comfortable, my body seemed restless. So, I turned to the side, pulled up my shirt, and left my belly exposed. With my fingertips, I began to caress it delicately, as if I could feel life already pulsating there.

"Hi, little baby..." I whispered, my voice choked. "I'm your mother. And you are my dream come true."

A tear ran down the corner of my eye, and I let it fall freely.

"Mommy loves you very much. I haven't seen the positive in the tests yet, but my heart knows... It knows you're there, being made with the greatest care in the world. Like a gift just for me."

I stayed there for a while, in silence, feeling that connection grow. Until, without realizing it, I fell asleep with my hand on my belly, as if I could protect that little miracle even before seeing it.

Enzo

Betina was acting... different.

She cried about everything. A margarine commercial on TV was already a reason to break down. The other night, she called me crying because her ice cream had melted before she finished it. Besides, the crazy cravings started.

"Friend, I feel like eating olives with brigadeiro. Is that normal?" she asked yesterday, with the most serious face in the world.

I laughed, a little nervous, but happy. As strange as everything was, it was part of the process. And, to be honest, my heart was already filling with hope.

Today she was calmer, but still emotional. We sat on the balcony of her apartment, and she said:

"Friend... I'm sure. I'm already pregnant."

"Calm down, Betina. Sometimes it's the hormones from the medication..." I tried to ponder.

"It's not, Enzo! I feel it! In here! It's your baby, I'm sure."

I tried not to show too much enthusiasm, so as not to create expectations. But the truth is that my chest almost exploded with joy. The possibility that it had worked on the first try... of having a child growing, even if still invisible... was too strong.

I caressed her hand and smiled:

"Then let's wait for confirmation. But... I'm also feeling something different."

Fertile Vita Clinic — Quality Control Department

In the basement of the clinic, among files and surveillance cameras, the laboratory sector supervisor, Dr. Matilde, reviewed the week's reports. As a protocol, all movement of samples, collections, and applications was recorded, both in the system and by cameras. But something caught her attention.

There was a small sequence deviation in the codes of two samples used on exactly the same day: one belonging to the patient Enzo Bianchi, and another identified as anonymous for a patient named Luiza Moretti.

Matilde narrowed her eyes, enlarged the screen, and reviewed the time stamps.

"Wait... were the labels switched?" she murmured, pulling up the reception history.

She then called a technician from the team.

"Camila, who handled this code here?"

Camila frowned, consulted the spreadsheet, and replied:

"It was the afternoon intern. I think... it was Giulia."

Dr. Matilde closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and picked up the phone. She called the medical director directly.

Minutes later, she was meeting with Dr. Pietro, Enzo and Betina's doctor.

"We have a potential problem," Matilde began, tense. "The code sequence of the insemination of two patients on the same day was switched during the preparation triage. We believe that the semen sample intended for patient Betina was applied to patient Luiza... and vice versa."

Dr. Pietro put his hands on his face, shocked.

"My God... this is very serious. Are you sure?"

"Not yet. We cannot confirm without genetic testing. But the records... strongly point to this exchange."

"And the patients? Do they know anything?"

"None. Both women left the clinic confident. They are awaiting pregnancy confirmation. Patient Luiza believes she received material from an anonymous donor. And Enzo believes that Betina is carrying his child."

Silence fell like a bomb in the office.

Dr. Pietro then said, with a firm voice:

"Let's not cause alarm now. Let's wait for the four-week exams. If both are pregnant... we will know how to proceed. But maintain absolute secrecy."

Dr. Matilde nodded.

"Yes, doctor. But sooner or later... this truth will knock on the door."

Narrator

Two lives begin to grow in silence. Two mothers connect to their babies with their hearts full of love. And a father... believes that his child is on the way through the hands of a friend.

But somewhere, the truth pulsates. Waiting for the right moment to explode.

Because destiny, however capricious it may be, always collects its debts.

And when that happens... nothing will be the same.

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