I Prayed for a Child and Promised to Adopt a Baby—17 Years Later, That Promise Almost Broke Us

I longed to be a mother more than anything else. It wasn’t a quiet wish or a fleeting dream—it was a hollow ache that followed me everywhere.

My husband and I tried for years, structuring our lives around ovulation calendars, doctor appointments, and whispered hopes. We sat together in sterile rooms under fluorescent lights while strangers spoke in careful voices about hormones, odds, and next steps.