Genetic counselor and first time novelist Janice Berliner puts her professional background to good use in her enthralling debut story where medical science intersects with mystery. What starts out as a simple story of a couple struggling to conceive quickly evolves into a multigenerational saga of devastating family secrets.

The tension mounts as two mothers are forced to uncover truths that they don’t want to face and discover a past that will have life-altering consequences for them and everyone they love.

It was the first time Dr. Cremini had spoken in a few minutes, and the Michaelsons had almost forgotten she was there. “That would be a pretty natural, human reaction to what you’re going through. As much as you love your baby, it’s terrifying to think about, right?”


“It is,” Kyra confirmed, looking at her therapist now, still speaking slowly and quietly. “But I wouldn’t want Brooke ever to think I didn’t, don’t, love her, or that I wouldn’t have wanted her to be born. That’s actually far more terrifying to me. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Dr. Cremini said. “Do you, Ryan?”

Kyra stared at her. She glanced at Ryan, then looked back, a little exasperated. She studied her fingernails for a moment or two before answering.
“I think I might be afraid to love Ryan too much. It hurts that our love created this beautiful girl who is so sick. I can’t believe we did that to her. Why and how did we do that to her?”


Kyra’s voice caught on the last few words so that they were barely audible, and Ryan immediately threw both arms around his wife. Tears streamed down both their faces.

Ryan spoke first, as Dr. Cremini watched them. “Kyra, honey, we didn’t do this to her. We didn’t choose this. This was our genes, our ugly, unknown genes. Everyone has them, Morgan said. We just happen to have the same one, and we never could have known that.


“It’s not our fault,” Ryan continued. “And one day, when she’s older and wiser than we are, probably, Brooke will understand that and she won’t blame us.”
“If she lives that long, Ry. She may not even live that long.” And now Kyra started sobbing uncontrollably.

“We will do everything in our power to keep her alive and as healthy as we can, I swear to you. I will always be there for both of you, my love, whether you sleep with me or not. I’ll sleep on the roof if I have to.”
Kyra laughed through her tears, and took both of Ryan’s hands.


“I want to be with you Ry, you know I do.” She looked down at her lap then and spoke barely above a whisper. “But what if we had another child like Brooke?” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
“Is that what’s really scaring you, Kyra?”

It was the first time Dr. Cremini had spoken in a few minutes, and the Michaelsons had almost forgotten she was there. “That would be a pretty natural, human reaction to what you’re going through. As much as you love your baby, it’s terrifying to think about, right?”


“It is,” Kyra confirmed, looking at her therapist now, still speaking slowly and quietly. “But I wouldn’t want Brooke ever to think I didn’t, don’t, love her, or that I wouldn’t have wanted her to be born. That’s actually far more terrifying to me. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Dr. Cremini said. “Do you, Ryan?”