Chapter 74: Noah

The phone felt heavy in my hand, the thumping of my heart hammering in my ears nearly overwhelming everything else around me. I stood there, still as a statue, my grip on the phone tightening until my hand turned white. 

“What did you say, doctor?” I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

His words flew through the phone, each one hitting me like a cold splash of water. “Noah, your infertility… it’s linked to your stress levels. Chronic stress can mess with your hormones, you know? It’s like a seesaw—too much stress and everything else can get thrown out of balance.”

I blinked, trying to process his words. The room around me felt unreal, as if I had stepped into a strange dream. 

Dr. Harris then continued, “Your cortisol levels were sky-high in the first test we took for the court case. That’s the stress hormone. It can knock your testosterone down a few pegs, and that’s vital for making sperm.”