“She was determined,” Mom murmured with pride.

“We ran into some complications,” the doctor said, his face tightening even more. “We couldn’t contain the bleeding, and with all the scar tissue and unhealed trauma, we had no other choice but to perform a full hysterectomy.”

“But she’s so young,” Mom whispered in a pained voice.

“Mom, Dr. Ortega warned us this might happen,” I reminded her. “Cali knew it was a big possibility.”

“I know, but…”

“I’d rather she was barren than dead,” Guzman cut her off, and Mom’s shoulders slumped.

“You’re right,” she agreed before shifting her gaze back to the doctor. “She’s going to be okay?”

“I don’t foresee any complications. It’s the baby that will have a difficult time, but I’ve been told she’s already a stubborn little princess.” His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “I will be by to check on Calista later tonight.”

I shook his hand. “Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate everything you’ve done for Cali.”

His grip was firm before he released my hand. “Take care of her. That girl…she needs a lot of love and special care.”

He left, and we all seemed to let out a collective relieved breath. Guzman practically flopped into a chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Thank God she’s okay.”

“Nova…” Mom pulled me over to the window. “We need to tell Garret.”

I stiffened at the mention of my brother’s name. “What? No!”

“Yes,” she said, turning stern. “I’ve kept my mouth shut so as not to upset Cali while she was pregnant, but now that Justice is here, he deserves to know about his daughter. What if something happens, and he doesn’t get the chance to even hold his child?”

“I’m not going to upset Cali with this crap right now, Mom. Maybe when she’s had time to recover, I’ll bring it up. But I’m not going to push her about it.”

She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. “Call your brother, or I will.”

From the hardness in her eyes, I knew she meant it. Groaning, I pulled out my phone. “He’s not going to pick up,” I warned, finding his number in my contacts. I might not have remembered his number, but Mom did and made me put him in my contact list. I hesitated for only a moment before swiping my thumb over his name.

She stepped closer, listening in as it rang and rang.

“What?” His voice came over the line in a savage snarl. “Who the fuck is this?”

“Garret,” I said his name softly, my mouth going dry at actually getting the chance to speak to my brother for the first time in months. “Don’t hang up.”

“N-Nova?” He got strangled on my name for a moment, but then he cleared his throat. “I don’t know who the fuck this is, but I’m tired of these sick games. Leave me and my family alone, you evil cunt.”

Before I could protest, the line went silent, and I gave Mom an “I told you so” look. She rolled her eyes and snatched the phone from my hand. Muttering to herself, she tried to call him back, only to get the unmistakable message that the call couldn’t go through.