"She's at it again!" someone shouted.
Everyone turned their heads toward the direction of the sound and spotted a woman holding her baby while smoking a cigarette. From the looks of it, one could hardly tell the difference between an unstable woman in a rehabilitation center and the woman before them. She clutched the baby protectively, shielding her from the angry crowd. After a long struggle, the baby was taken from her.
---
[At X-Hospital]
Mr. Friedemann paced anxiously in the waiting room, waiting for news of his wife's delivery.
"Dad, is anything wrong?" a five-year-old Albrecht asked, looking up at his father.
"Nothing's wrong, Albrecht. Go sit and wait for your mother, okay?" Mr. Friedemann replied, trying to smile. The boy nodded and walked away.
But Mr. Friedemann couldn't shake the truth behind his words. Of course everything was wrong.
He and his wife had become quite successful lately, constantly in the public eye. When she got pregnant, they made it a media event. Their "adoring" fans speculated daily on who the baby would resemble, and well-wishers poured in with blessings for a safe delivery. If anything went wrong, Mr. Friedemann would be blamed for not being a responsible father or husband.
On top of that, he'd left several contracts unfinished and bent important rules under the excuse of caring for his pregnant wife. The baby, a girl, was supposed to be betrothed to the son of one of the powerful Money Lords. If she didn't survive, that plan would crumble entirely. Mr. Friedemann couldn't bear the shame.
The cry of a newborn interrupted his thoughts. A nurse stepped out of the delivery room, and he rushed to her.
"How is my wife? Did the baby survive?" he asked, eyes full of hope.
"Everything is alright, Mr. Friedemann. You have nothing to fear," the nurse said, then hurried away.
Mr. Friedemann breathed a sigh of relief and did a small victory dance in his mind. He began calling his business partners to share the news.
---
Meanwhile, a woman walked into the hospital holding a baby barely a month old. The child was struggling to breathe.
"Not again," the doctor muttered.
"She's crazy," the woman complained. "She lets the poor baby inhale cigarette smoke!"
"Why don't you adopt her?" the doctor asked.
"I've got my own kids," she replied. "Besides, my husband would never go for it."
The doctor didn't argue. He'd heard it all before. The woman always found reasons not to take full responsibility, though she seemed to care more than anyone else. Quietly, the doctor filed for the baby to be placed in the adoption system, praying someone would come soon to save her.
---
[Six months later]
"Doctor Rodney, I don't know what's going on, but the baby has been behaving unusually," Mrs. Friedemann said. Her daughter didn't coo like other babies, didn't respond to her name, and made no effort to say her first word.
"Momma, will my little sister be alright?" Albrecht asked, sensing his mother's distress. She nodded, though her heart was filled with worry.
---
[At the Friedemann Residence]
"What did the doctor say?" Mr. Friedemann asked when his wife returned home.
Mrs. Friedemann recounted the conversation.
"She might have Autism Spectrum Disorder," the doctor had told her gently.
"What's that?" she had asked, alarmed.
"It's too early to tell," Dr. Rodney explained. "But autism can sometimes show signs like delayed speech and difficulties with interaction. I can't be sure at this stage, but we'll need to observe her closely over the next few years."
Mrs. Friedemann had stared blankly. Annelise's first birthday was approaching. What would people say if they suspected her child had autism? The world could be cruel. And worse, if this were true, her husband's plans for engagement to the Money Lord's son would be ruined.
"Is there anything we can do now?" she'd asked.
"I'd recommend returning in about three years. By then, we'll have a clearer picture."
Back at home, her husband couldn't believe what he was hearing. He scoured the internet, researching autism. The more he read, the more unsettled he became. What had he done to deserve this? How could he tell the world that his daughter might have a disorder? His empire, his pride, would collapse.
Eventually, he came to a decision: he would adopt another child. A girl of the same age as Annelise.
---
[At X-Hospital]
"We'll take the child," Mr. Friedemann beamed. He didn't care to go through the legal process. It would take too long, and besides, the child still had a guardian on record. But she was perfect- a girl, just one month younger than Annelise.
Everyone was happy that evening.
Well… everyone except Albrecht.
To him, it felt like they had thrown his sister away and replaced her with a stranger. He stayed silent, watching the smiles on his parents' faces.
For Mr. and Mrs. Friedemann, the baby was a business investment, nothing more.
For Albrecht, she was an intruder who had stolen his sister's rightful place and he vowed never to accept her.
Perhaps, in the years to come, no one in the Friedemann household would truly love her, unless the baby decided to love her first.
---
"What's her name, Doctor?"
"Elisabeth. Elisabeth Milo."
"No, no. That's too local. I'll call her… Karina Friedemann."