Third Person POV
The doctors wheeled Sofia Gabrielle Parker toward the operating room, their movements precise, rehearsed, and methodical. The room smelled of antiseptic and polished metal, the lights bright and sterile. Nurses whispered instructions, and the faint hum of machines filled the space. Every detail was in place-every precaution taken.
But then something extraordinary happened.
Sofia opened her eyes-and she was no longer in the hospital. The cold sterility of the operating room vanished. She stood beneath a cherry blossom tree, in a spring she hadn't felt for months. The air was warm, scented with flowers, soft and alive. She felt lighter, taller, free of the pain that had haunted her every step. Her feet brushed the soft grass, dew clinging to her shoes, and she inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of fresh earth. For the first time in years, she could stand fully upright, and it felt astonishing.
She was about to follow a drifting cloud when a soft, childlike voice called her name:
"Sofia!"
Startled, she turned. A little girl stood before her. Dark curls framed a radiant face, her skin glowing in the sunlight. She wore a flowing white dress dotted with tiny flowers that danced with the wind. A delicate flower crown rested on her head. Her presence was gentle, yet impossibly commanding.
"Please... go back," the child said.
Sofia frowned, confused. "Why should I go back? I'm finally free. I feel no pain. I feel happy."
"My name is Ivy Haywood," the child said, eyes wide with recognition. "Antonio told you about me, didn't he?"
Sofia nodded.
"Go back to him," Ivy insisted. "He needs you. He's a mess without you. It's not your time to stay here. You still have so much purpose in your life. You've walked a long journey and almost reached the end-but not yet. Turn back, now, before it's too late."
The little girl reached out, her tiny hand warm on Sofia's, and gently guided her toward the cherry blossom tree. "Remember this, Sofia: never give up on life. Let the world hear your story. Let them see your greatness. A year from now, you will have a daughter. I will come to Antonio and you, and he will keep me safe and happy. Now go."
And then she vanished.
Back in the operating room, the team froze. The surgical lights illuminated the miracle that had just occurred. Machines beeped uncertainly, nurses gasped, and even the lead doctor stepped back, unable to reconcile the impossible. Sofia had returned from the brink.
They stabilized her, and Antonio, who had been waiting anxiously outside, rushed into the room. Tears streamed down his face as he held her hand, kissing it, pressing her palm to his lips, whispering prayers of gratitude to God, angels, and saints. He promised to honor this miracle for the rest of his life.
It took months for Sofia to fully regain her strength. Her body healed, her skin glowed, and she grew taller, standing at 5'2". Each day, she walked a little further, smiled a little brighter, and rediscovered the joy of movement without pain. Her story captivated the world: news outlets, radio stations, podcasts. Even Beatrice Coleman, imprisoned for her crimes, saw the reports. She wept, confessing her wrongs and vowing to spend the rest of her life making amends.
Ethan and Stanzas rejoiced at the sight of their sister fully restored. Saydai returned to Liberia when Sofia was pregnant a year later, sharing in the miracle.
Love, the story showed, can be tested and nearly broken-but it endures. For Sofia and Antonio, every internal struggle, every obstacle only strengthened their bond. They learned that true love requires persistence, focus, and courage. The path is never easy, littered with hardships and heartbreak, but at the end of the road awaits something greater than any worldly force.
Twenty years later
Ivy's POV
Our parents' love was far from perfect. They argued, clashed, and sometimes faltered-but love always won. They stood together for their children, guiding us, showing us light, and helping us shine.
Ivy Gbein Annabella Parker Haywood-my name honors the savior who returned my mother to life twenty-one years ago. Antonio and Sofia raised me and my siblings with unwavering care. They adopted Elizabeth, a little girl with a hearing aid, and built a family filled with love, guidance, and joy.
Love doesn't ask why. It arrives in its own time, to those who believe, to those who are willing to hope. It is strength, power, and voice-it speaks louder than any instrument or amplifier.
My mother shared her story with anyone who would listen. She emphasized that abandonment is the deepest pain a child can endure-but also that every child deserves love, protection, and the knowledge that they are chosen, no matter their challenges.
Sofia's life had been full of scars: rejected, abandoned, called a dwarf, a witch, left among strangers in an orphanage. She carried a pure heart and a wounded soul-but she emerged triumphant.
In the end, she received what she had always deserved: love, family, and the chance to live a life that shone with purpose.
All things are possible for those who believe. Miracles happen when hope is never abandoned.
Love is worth it. Always.
THE END !!!!!
---
Author's Note
A big thanks to everyone who read this book.
This took me years to write this
Since 2021-2026.
It wasn't that I was slow - the book was surviving.
I hope this book will give someone hope like the way books I have read from my favorite writers did.
I am really grateful and I loved each moment of their story.
This book isn't prefect but I am proud that we did it.
God did it.
Started
November 15,2021
Completed
February 11,2026
11:17 pm GMT
Thank you
Xoxo
Bella Angel Douglas